Love Never Dies
by revester
Summary: Helena gets a letter from the Joker...what does he want from her and what does it have to do with her mother?
1. Introduction

****

Introduction

Author's note: If you are a fan of the show, you can just skip to the next chapter. This is basically an introduction to anyone that didn't watch the show. (namely, my friends!) :)

Helena Kyle: 23. Daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle. Her alias when fighting crime as a vigilante is Huntress and by day, she is a bartender at the Dark Horse Bar. She is half Meta, and is in love (although she probably wouldn't admit it) with Detective Jesse Reese.

Dinah Redmond: 16. Daughter of Carolyn Lance. She is a high school student by day, and a vigilante by night. She is a Meta human with the power of telekinesis. She can also read minds.

Barbara Gordon: Used to be Batgirl. She is a teacher at New Gotham High. She stopped being Batgirl when The Joker shot her. She is paralyzed from the waist down. Her crime fighting alias is Oracle, and her boyfriend, Wade Brixton, was stabbed and killed by Harley Quinn, The Joker's girlfriend.

Bruce Wayne: Unknowingly, he is Helena Kyle's father. Selena hid Helena from him in order to protect Helena. He used to be Batman until The Joker shot Barbara and Clay Face stabbed Selena. He left New Gotham.

Selena Kyle: She is Helena Kyle's mother. She was stabbed by Clay Face when Helena was 14. She used to be Catwoman, fell in love with Bruce Wayne, and gave up being Catwoman when she became pregnant with Helena.

The Joker: Villain of Gotham City. Shot Barbara Gordon. Hates Batman and all that he stands for. Currently at an undisclosed prison, and is a maximum security prisoner.

Detective Jesse Reese: Detective at New Gotham Police Department. He is in love with his partner, Helena.

Ok, now you know everyone!!! Enjoy!! :)


	2. A message from Oracle

Disclaimer: Just like all the other authors, I don't own the BOP

Disclaimer: Just like all the other authors, I don't own the BOP. Wish I did, but I don't. :( No characters are mine, just the storyline.

It was a typical night in New Gotham. Huntress was in the midst of stopping a bank robbery on one side of town. She was kicking some guy's ass while two other guys stood there in shock. Dinah, who had taken on part of her mother's superhero name Canary, was on the other side of town stopping a jewelry store robbery.

"You know, you'd think that word would get around this city and these guys would just give up already," she said into her coms as she kicked the guy in the jaw, knocking him out. The other two guys saw him fall and went running. Huntress didn't follow. She didn't feel like chasing down scumbags tonight. This guy would just be the example.

"It's the male ego. How are you doing?" replied the voice in her ear.

"I'm all done here. Do you have anything else for me to do?" Huntress asked as she handcuffed the unconscious man to a fire hydrant. She made a mental note to let Detective Reese know about this guy. Last time, she forgot about the man and it wasn't pretty when he was found the next day.

"No, that's pretty much it for now. It's been very quiet tonight. Once Canary's given me word, you both are off sweeps for the night unless something comes up. Just keep your coms on and be ready for anything unexpected. I'm hoping that this isn't the calm before the storm," Oracle answered. Helena walked across the street from the bank and leaped onto the rooftop. She started leaping buildings.

"That sounds good to me. Huntress out," said Helena before she jumped off a rooftop about two blocks away from the bank. How ironic that it happened to be Reese's apartment building.

2 Hours later…

"Huntress, I need you to get to the Clock Tower right now," Oracle's voice startled Helena as she was making out with Reese on his couch. Helena groaned at Barbara's wrong timing before realizing what she heard in Barbara's voice. It was something that is never heard in Barbara's voice. It was fear. Reese had also heard the voice and looked at Helena.

"What's wrong, Oracle?" Helena immediately got off the couch and shrugged at Reese, telling him that she had no idea what was wrong.

"There is no time to explain, just get here!"

"Ok, ok. I'm on my way."

"Well, I guess that cuts our night short." Reese said as he got up. "Any thoughts on what's wrong? I've never heard her voice like that before."

"Me neither. It must be big, though. I hope nobody got hurt." Helena got up and started to look for the tank top she was definitely wearing when she had gotten there. Reese found it across the room (for the life of her she couldn't figure that out), and handed it to her.

"Call me later and let me know what happened, ok?" Reese pulled Helena to him, and kissed her.

"Don't worry, I will." Helena said before jumping out of his window. She landed on the ground and made her way to the clock tower.

'I love her,' Reese thought to himself he watched her land. 'Now, why can't I tell her?'

At the clock tower

"Ok, I'm here. What's going-whoa, who died?" Helena came out of the elevator and started walking toward the Delphi system and stopped when she saw Barbara and Dinah. Barbara was pale as a ghost and was holding an envelope on her lap. Dinah was also pale and was staring at the envelope as if it was going to explode. They looked up as Helena came in.

"Alfred brought this from your apartment along with some bills and stuff. It's a letter." Barbara wheeled up to Helena and handed it to her. Her hand was shaking.

"So, I got a letter. What's the big deal?" She asked.

"Helena, look at where the return address is supposed to be."

Helena looked at the envelope. Her name and address was on it. In the top left hand corner was a smiley face in green ink.

"Oh…"

There was only one person known in New Gotham who had ever used a smiley face as a trademark. This man was not the person Helena would have chosen for a pen pal.

"It's from the Joker..."


	3. The letter

A/N: I forgot to mention that I have not read the comic books or know anything about the villains in Gotham (that's coming up)

A/N: Just so you know, I have not read the comic books or know anything about the villains in Gotham (that's coming up). I know only some limited information. I'm making the rest up from my imagination. Also, I used the Joker's name from the original Batman movie because I felt like it.

**Chapter 2**

"So I got a letter from the Joker. Now what?" Helena looked at Barbara, not knowing what to do. This was a letter from the man that was responsible for Barbara being in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. This man was her so-called "father's" arch-nemesis.

"Oh, just open it already! I want to know what he wrote. The suspense is killing me!" Dinah exclaimed. Her reward was a glare from both Barbara and Helena.

"Barbara, should I even open it? I mean, this is a letter from the Joker! This is serious stuff. What if he's escaping and coming after us because of who we are? What if the letter explodes when I open it...or…something?" The look on Barbara's face made Helena hesitate. Barbara looked at her like she was speaking gibberish.

"Helena, he's been locked up in a psych ward far away from here for over seven years. I really don't think he'd use this opportunity to kill you. He's the type to want to watch you die himself." Barbara may have said this with confidence, but her face didn't share it. She looked like she half expected the Joker to magically jump out of the letter and kill them all, which wasn't far from the truth.

"Ok. Here goes…" Helena opened the envelope. Inside was a letter that was written in green ink. She started to read the letter silently. This was not appreciated by the other two people in the room.

"Well? WHAT DOES IT SAY?!" Both Barbara and Dinah exclaimed, breaking Helena's concentration. She glared at them before clearing her throat and reading the letter.

"Dear Ms. Helena Kyle,

You may not know who I am. My name is Jack Napier. I am more widely known as the Joker. I used to be acquaintances with your mother, Selina Kyle. I'm not sure how much you know about your mother and the life she led before you were born, but I am contacting you on her behalf. There is something of great importance that I must discuss with you. It is a time-sensitive matter, so my wishes are that you waste no time. I give my apologies that this letter has waited so long to be sent, but due to the nature of my crimes, I had to wait this long in order to be allowed to contact anyone. Please do not let any stories that you may have heard about me influence your decision whether or not to see me. I implore you to see me. There is no time to waste. I look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Jack Napier"

"There is no way in HELL you are going to see him!" That was the first thing out of Barbara's mouth.

"Why not?" Deep down, Helena knew the reason, but she hated when anyone tried to tell her what to do.

"Helena, are you insane? This is the man who shot me! This is the man that put the hit out on your mother! You'll just be playing into one of his games! He probably found out that Batman had a daughter and decided to get even with him through you! It probably has nothing to do with your mother. Did you think of that?"

"Barbara, he doesn't even mention Batman or you in this letter...he only mentioned Helena's mother. Oh! Maybe he has some of the money your mother stole and has to give it to you in a certain amount of time, or he loses it. That's a time-sensitive thing!" Dinah said. She got a strange look from Barbara. Helena just burst out laughing.

"Dinah, for the last time, I am not going to buy you a car with my parents' money!" Helena said in between gasps. The look on Dinah's face was priceless. She couldn't keep a straight face.

"Look Barbara, he's in prison. What could he possibly do to me? Feed me the bad food? Give me dirty looks? Besides, I could even go on coms through the entire visit. All you'd need to do is tinker with them. Please?" Helena started to use the puppy eyes.

"Oh, please, Helena. That hasn't worked since you were...wait. That has never worked on me. I could give you a giant list of things that the Joker has done while he was in prison. Tell me, why is this so important to you? Why would you want to meet the man who shot me and organized your mother's death? Have you forgotten what happened with Clayface?" Silence followed after Barbara said this. Mentioning Helena's visit with Clayface was almost the only thing to get Helena to be serious. It also had a 50 chance of making her so angry that she started to throw things.

"No, I haven't forgotten what happened with Clayface. How could I? Barbara, he knows something. It must be something important to him. It could be about my mother or my father. The only way I'll find out what it is that he wants from me is to go talk to him. I have this feeling that I need to know whatever it is that he wants to tell me. Besides, there will be guards there. He's a maximum-security prisoner. I just want to talk. Besides, if I find out it's a trick, I will just kick his ass. He's been in prison for a long time. I'm sure I can take him." Helena smirked.

"Okay, fine. Just don't mention me, ok? And you are to keep your coms on the entire time. I'll find a way to make them work long distance." Barbara was hesitant about this whole thing, but she could see that there was no stopping Helena.

"Good. Then I'll go. It's time to meet daddy's foe."


	4. Saying Goodbye

A/N: Hey, I have no idea where The Joker is held but please assume that it is far enough away for Helena to have to take a plane, and make this meeting a two day journey

A/N: Hey, I have no idea where The Joker is held, but I'm assuming that it is far enough away for Helena to have to take a plane, and make this meeting a two day journey!

**Chapter 3**

The next day...

Helena was in her apartment packing. Well, packing may not be the correct word. It was more like sifting through her pile of clothes on the floor for the fourth time. She may be leaving for two days, but she felt that she needed a lot of stuff. She needed the right outfit for the meeting, but couldn't decide what to wear. What would be the right outfit for this kind of meeting? Somehow, black leather just didn't seem like the best option. I mean, what would the other people think? She walked around her pile of clothes to try and find her suitcase. It got misplaced when she was trying to decide what to wear. It took her twenty minutes of sifting through her mountain of clothes before she realized that she had been standing on it when she started.

There was a knock at the door. Ah, it must be Alfred, she thought. Helena looked around her apartment. It was a complete disaster. Her clothes were everywhere. Hurricane Helena left nothing clean. Well, at least she had finally chosen an outfit: a white tank top, jeans, and her black leather jacket. She knew black leather wasn't the best option, but it was her favorite leather jacket. Oh well, she thought, he's going to be earning his pay today! She hastened to the door, immediately tripping over her clothing, and ran into the coffee table, stubbing her toe. Cursing under her breath, she opened the door.

"Oh...hey. What are you doing here? I didn't realize you were coming over. Um, if I'd known you were coming, I would have cleaned up the place." It was Reese at the door. She nervously ran her hand over her hair.

"That's okay. I'm sorry I just stopped by without calling first. I was just worr..." He came in and saw the disaster that was her apartment.

"Oh, my God. You've been robbed!" He turned and smirked at the glare she was giving him, trying not to laugh.

"I have NOT!" She play-punched him. "I'm going away for two days, and I want to look nice."

"All this mess for a two day trip? What, do you need five outfits a day? What is with women and packing? Seriously, though, why didn't you call me last night? I was a little worried. What's going on? Where are you going?" He went over to the couch. He made a show of cleaning off an area. Helena followed him. With Helena laughing, he sat down and pulled her in his lap.

"I'm sorry. With all the excitement, I forgot."

"Excitement? What happened last night?"

"Alfred brought in a letter that was delivered to my apartment. An old friend of my mother's contacted me." That was sort of true. It was stretching the word 'friend,' but Helena wanted to delay telling Reese about her mother's friend being the Joker as long as possible. She didn't want him to worry and he would worry if she told him.

"Uh-huh. What do you take me for, Helena? I'm not stupid. If it was only a letter from a friend, why did Barbara sound like the apocalypse had happened when she contacted you? And why would you be leaving the city?" He gave Helena a stern look. Obviously, he wasn't buying it. She would have to tell him the truth.

"I told you the truth. It just so happened that my mother's friend happened to be the Joker." Reese's face paled a little.

"How would your mother know or even be friends with the Joker? Wait, that doesn't matter right now. What did he want?"

"He wants to talk to me about something, so I'm going to visit him to find out what it is."

"Are you kidding me? You can't possibly consider going to visit that man, could you?" He got up and looked around the room.

"You are going..." he mumbled.

"Reese, he's been in a psych ward as a maximum-security prisoner for years. He can't do anything to me while he's in prison, can he? I mean, think rationally here."

"Think rationally?! If you recall, Clay Face was a maximum-security prisoner as well. But he got out and almost made you a murderer! C'mon, Helena, do you honestly believe that there is not one thing he could do to hurt you in some way? Why the hell do you want to visit him? What could you possibly learn from that madman?"

Reese saw her tense up and inwardly cringed. She was getting pissed.

"I don't have to explain myself to you! You can't tell me what to do. I'm not a child!" She pushed passed him and headed towards her bedroom. Reese got in front of her and blocked her path.

"Helena, I don't think of you as a child. I just don't understand why you want to go. Talk to me. Make me understand." He saw her relax a little.

"I think that he wants to tell me something about my mom that I need to know. And if that's true, the only way I will ever know is if I play by his rules and see him."

"Why would you think that?"

"She's the only thing he mentioned in his letter."

"That's not a very good reason."

"I know, but it's all that I have. I'm pretty sure that he doesn't know that I'm Batman's daughter, so he has no reason to come after me."

"So, you're only pretty sure?"

"Why would he only mention my mother if he wants to kill me because of my father?"

"To get you to come. Helena, I don't like this."

"I just have a feeling about this, ok?" She went back over and sat on the couch. Reese sat next to her.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Only for two days." She smiled. Helena knew him asking her that was his way of giving permission even though she didn't ask for it. She appreciated the gesture. She especially appreciated the fact that he didn't make it sound that way.

"I'm going to miss you." He had a look on his face like he was prepping himself to tell her something. This something had to be big. Helena froze. Uh-oh, her brain was yelling at her. Do we want to know what he's going to say? Do we stay or run? Fight or flight? She chose flight, as she often did when it came to things like this. She got up.

"Um, look, I have to finish packing for this trip. My flight is in six hours." She walked over to the door. Reese had a disappointed look on his face that immediately vanished when she turned around.

"Ok, I'm going." He kissed her and left. After Reese left, Helena went back to the couch and sat down. She put her head in her hands and groaned. That was a close one. They almost took a leap into becoming serious. That wasn't what she wanted, or was it?

'Oh, why can't I admit it to myself?' she thought. Oh, well. She could think about Reese later. She had a plane to catch.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Review please! ;)


	5. Going to meet the Joker

A/N: Hey all! Now, I know it's been a while, but I've been having fun computer issues! By the way, Rent A Center is a GREAT place to get a laptop (sarcasm noted, I hope) They completely deleted my hard drive and didn't even fix the problem I had in the first place. I am currently typing this on my mother's computer. Anyway, I also wanted to let you know that I will be answering reviews on my homepage, which can be found on my fun little profile. Yay! As an "I'm sorry" gift, this chapter is long. Don't ya love me? Now, on with the story.

Chapter 24

Dinah rushed down the stairs as she went over her vision for the third time. Her heart was still racing from her vision. What if what she saw came true? Was Selina angry enough to kill Clayface and end up going to jail? Well, yeah, she was angry enough. I mean, Clayface did kill her sister. But, Selina still hadn't completely recovered from her ordeal. She never said anything, but it was obvious to her, Barbara and Helena. Clayface was capable of turning the tables and killing her. He had done it before. Helena just got her mother back. Dinah wasn't sure that she could handle losing her again.

Getting to the lower floor, Dinah padded towards Barbara's room. (A/N: They never really say where Barbara's room is, but I'm sure it's on the lower floor, closer to her computer) She tried to stay as quiet as possible because it was 3 in the morning. Barbara usually had to be forcibly removed from her computer to get some sleep and then she was out like a light. Sometimes, she went peacefully. Most of the time, however, there was a lot of kicking and screaming. The screaming by Barbara, and the kicking by the girls as they kicked her wheelchair toward her room.

"Barbara?" Dinah whispered as she tiptoed into the room. Barbara was known to get a little cranky if she was woken up during the time she was forced to sleep. She already went through seven alarm clocks this month. Poor things. When there was no answer, Dinah gritted her teeth and called her again, only louder. She was praying that Barbara would wake up easily, while she was a safe distance away. Dinah still had bruises from the last time she had to wake Barbara up.

"Barbara?" Again, there was no answer. Dinah went up with the intention to shake her awake.

"Barb-AHHH!" No sooner had she touched Barbara's shoulder was she grabbed by the wrist and flipped.

"What the...Dinah? DINAH! What are you doing up and on the floor? It's...three o'clock in the morning? It's THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" Somehow, Dinah managed to figure out that Barbara was awake.

"Well, it's hard to stay on your feet when someone flips you," Dinah muttered as she got up. She rubbed her tailbone. That was going to bruise...again.

"Sorry. But you should know better by now to be careful when trying to wake me up." Barbara sat up as she laughed at her little joke. For some reason, Dinah didn't join her. (A/N: heehee I wonder why...) She patted the edge of her bed for Dinah to sit down next to her.

"Now, you better have a good reason for waking me up." Dinah sat down and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, I was asleep and I had a vision."

"About?"

"Helena's mom."

"What happened?" Barbara grabbed Dinah's arm.

Blippity Blippity Blippity Boo (what are you reading this for? Read the story!)

Reese's Apartment

What a night, Reese thought to himself as he was lying in bed. He had been trying to sleep for the past two hours, but so much had happened tonight. He had now met both of Helena's parents. All that was left was to introduce Helena to his mother. Reese grimaced at that thought. Oh boy, would that be fun. His mother had a history of going a tad overboard when he would bring a woman home to meet her. Therefore, he had stopped doing it. She would cook a huge meal, get out the baby pictures, and ask about the wedding and children, even though there was neither one. And Helena thought her mom was bad. Not that he hadn't been thinking about those things. He would just like to talk to Helena about those things before talking about them with his mother. Although, Helena didn't really seem interested in progressing. Well, she did tell him that she loved him. That had to mean something, right?

Someone knocking on his door interrupted his train of thought and brought him back to the present time. Someone was knocking? Reese looked over at his alarm clock. It read: 3:05 AM. He got up, a little dazed, and grabbed a baseball bat that was against his bedroom door, just in case. (A/N: Don't you notice that in just about every movie and TV show, when someone's knocking in the middle of the night, someone always grabs a baseball bat?) On the other side of his door was the absolute last person he expected to be knocking on his door. He shook his head, put down the baseball bat, and opened the door.

"Hey," Helena said. She didn't seem fazed by the fact that it was three in the morning.

Reese stepped back for a second and looked at her. Then, he turned around and looked at the balcony behind him. Then he looked back at her.

"What?" She looked at him, confused.

"...It's open." He pointed at the balcony.

"I know. Can't I do something normal and polite once in a while?"

"Uh-oh. What's wrong?" Reese knew that this was serious. Helena went to his front door and knocked. Who died?

Helena shrugged and walked inside. Reese closed the door behind her. He followed her to his couch and sat down beside her. They sat there for a moment without speaking. Then, Helena broke the silence.

"My mother's been gone for almost three hours now. We don't know where she went or if she's okay." She spoke softly and put her head on his shoulder.

Reese was silent. He really didn't know what to tell her, so he just put an arm around her for comfort. He knew that she must be anxious and scared. Her mother was the most important person in Helena's world. She was the person who knew Helena the best. Reese didn't think he would ever meet someone that knew Helena better than Barbara did. Then he met Selina, who knew Helena like the back of her hand. There may have been a seven-year gap between them, but if there was one thing Selina knew, it was her daughter. Barbara was second to Selina in knowing Helena. Reese was quickly becoming the third person who knew Helena the best because let's face it...he had seen her cry.

Helena now had her arms around his waist. She wasn't crying this time (Reese silently rejoiced); instead, she was just staring into space.

"At first, I didn't think it was that big a deal. I mean, she had a reason to blow off some steam. But that was a good three hours ago. What if something bad happened to her?" Helena's voice was so quiet that Reese had trouble hearing her and that unnerved him. She was barely even speaking, which was so unlike her.

"Helena, I wish I could tell you that she's alright, but I can't. What I can tell you is that she's a strong woman. You know that she can take care of herself." Helena looked up at him.

"I know that, but I can't help staying worried. I keep telling myself that she's going to be okay. Then I keep imagining ten million things happening to her while I just sit here, unable to help her. Now all I can do is think about the last thing I said to her. I love her so much. I can't bear to lose her again...not now. I feel so...helpless. I hate feeling helpless."

"I know..." Reese squeezed her shoulder. Helena smiled.

"Thanks. How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"I read it in a book somewhere." Reese laughed as Helena punched him on the shoulder.

Helena brought her face up to his. They were mere seconds away from kissing when they were interrupted. (A/N: I just LOVE interrupting them. It's so fun!)

"Huntress, I need you back at headquarters immediately." Helena groaned. Why did she always wear her coms? She looked at her watch. It was 3:30.

"Man, it must be important."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Barbara's awake." She looked at Reese, trying not to laugh.

LA LA LA LA I CANT SEE YOU LA LA LA LA

Some random apartment in New Gotham...

Selina sat down on a bed in a hotel. She wasn't ready to go back to the clock tower, so she rented a room for the night under a false name. She felt a little childish for running away, and guilty for making everyone worry (she knew they would), but if she told them, Bruce would know and then he would get all pig-headed and come to find out what was wrong and how to fix it. He always did that. Selina smiled sadly when she remembered the one time he couldn't fix her problem.

_Flashback:_

_Catwoman was pacing back and forth in an alleyway. There were a million thoughts running through her head. She just found out that morning that she was pregnant. That thought terrified her to the very core. First off, she got into fights in the night. She was about a month pregnant. What if, in the time she didn't know, her child had been damaged? She obviously had to retire for the sake of her child, if her child hadn't already been damaged. Second off, and the thought that terrified her the most, was Batman. He was the child's father. What was she thinking? This child was in danger. Once his enemies knew, this child would be used against him, whether or not he was involved. Oh, no. What if he didn't want to be involved? She couldn't handle this by herself. Well, first she had to tell him. How in the world was she going to tell him? _

_Someone dropping into the alleyway startled her. She turned around to see the first and last person she wanted to see at that moment._

_"Alright, Catwoman, where's the money?" He leered at her, preparing to mock fight like always. This time, Catwoman wasn't going to take the bait._

_"There is no money." She said as she took a step back. Batman stopped and put down his fists. She had never done that before._

_"What?"_

_"I didn't steal any money. I just went in to get your attention." She took another step back and grabbed her empty sack. She shook it for effect._

_"And why is it that you wanted my attention?" He smiled and took a step towards her. She went up to him and looked him straight in the eye._

_"We need to talk." _

_"What's wrong?" He knew this was serious, so he stopped playing._

_"I'm...retiring." She looked up at him. That was not what you were supposed to tell him, her inner voice yelled. Her other inner voice told the first one to shut up because there were too many ears around. She couldn't tell him about the baby while there was a chance of the wrong person overhearing. They couldn't know that Batman was going to become a father._

_"Really? That's great! Now I don't have to worry about you." He smiled and made a move to hug her. She moved to avoid him. If he hugged her now, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to say it._

_"That's not all." She looked up at his hurt face. He seemed to have an idea of what this was about._

_"I'm leaving New Gotham tomorrow. I don't know when I'm coming back, or if I will come back."_

_"Oh, so this is just a goodbye then? Well, thanks. It's been fun." He was pissed. He turned around to leave, but she grabbed his arm first._

_"I want you to come with me." He turned around._

_"What?"_

_"Come with me. Retire being Batman and come be with me! It would be so wonderful!" Selina had an urgency in her voice. This was the perfect idea. If he retired, he could be a part of their child's life without the baby being in danger. _

_"You know I can't do that, Selina. Without me, this town will be crawling with criminals." He couldn't believe she was asking him this. She could tell. She spent the last two years learning to read him, even before they got together._

_"No it won't. Let the others take over. Please do this. For me." She could feel him trying to figure out what was going on. He was a smart man; he knew that there was something else. She grabbed his arm and looked straight in his eyes. _

_He was silent and wouldn't look at her. She almost couldn't take it. Catwoman was one moment away from getting on her hands and knees and begging him to go with her when he responded._

_"I'm sorry. I...can't go with you." Instantly, tears welled up in her eyes._

_"Ok." She said before she leaped up to another building._

_She went up to the top of a random apartment building where Batgirl found her ten minutes later. The sight she walked up to was a crying Catwoman. _

_"Hey, what's wrong?" She put a hand on her shoulder._

_"Oh, what do you care?" She wrenched her shoulder away and wiped away her tears. Batgirl leaned over and whispered in her ear._

_"I cared ever since you started sleeping with Bruce and saved my life." Catwoman didn't even flinch. She got up and walked to the other side of the apartment roof. After she didn't see anyone around, she looked over at Barbara._

_"Barbara, I want you to swear to me that what I'm going to tell you needs to be kept a secret. This is something I can't tell Bruce, ok?" Barbara nodded._

_"I... I'm pregnant." Whew, that was easier than she thought. She looked up to see Barbara's astonished face. Barbara's mouth moved around a bit before she answered._

_"Is... is Bruce the father?"_

_"YES he's the father. What do you think, that I just sleep around? Wait, don't answer that."_

_"Sorry. But, what are you going to do? You have to tell him!" _

_"No. I'm retiring and I'm leaving Gotham tomorrow. I don't know if I'm coming back. He doesn't have to know a thing."_

_"Selina, you have to tell him. He will help you."_

_"Are you kidding me? Please, I can't believe I asked him to retire being Batman for me. I...I just thought that I...meant as much to him as he did to me..." Damn it, she was crying again. _

_Barbara went over and hugged her. Selina just cried harder._

_End Flashback_

Selina shook her head. She didn't need to think about the past anymore. She looked over at the telephone. What she needed was someone that she could tell that would tell Helena and not Bruce. The perfect person came to mind.

"Reese." She picked up the phone and dialed 411 to get Reese's number. As she was dialing, she glanced at her clock.

"Damn it." It was 3:45 in the morning.

"Oh, well. I'll leave a message if he's asleep."

After she got his machine (since he was in the clock tower with Helena), she started speaking.

"Hello, Jesse. This is Selina Kyle. I wanted to ask a favor of you. Could you please let Helena, and only Helena, know that I'm ok? I'm asking this of you because I can't tell Barbara; she will tell Bruce. I just went to my sister's grave. I'll be back later tomorrow...or today, rather."

Laying back on her bed, Selina thought about the upcoming day. Oh boy, she thought to herself, is Clayface is going to get his.

JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS ROBIN LAID AN EGG

"Hey, what's up?" Helena asked as she and Reese got out of the elevator. "Do you even know what time it is?"

"No, Helena, I am not aware that it is 3:45 in the morning." Barbara didn't even glance away from her computer. Helena realized that Barbara was a little grumpy this morning.

"What's going on?"

"Well, I was asleep and I had a vision," Dinah said. She was sitting a considerable distance away from Barbara's peripheral eyesight. Dinah didn't want to face the wrath of a half-awake Barbara again. She valued her limbs.

"What was the vision?" Reese asked.

"I saw Helena's mother."

"Where was she!" Helena rushed up to Dinah, who paled a little. Helena came up really fast.

"She was at...mpph." The last part was said into her hand.

"What? Dinah just tell me! Don't mutter it into your hand like a child!" Helena was getting impatient, so the volume of her voice increased. When she raised her voice, Barbara's knuckles tightened, although Helena didn't see it. Barbara wasn't fond of loud noises this early in the morning.

"She was at...Arkham. Arkham Asylum." Dinah cringed before looking up at Helena's face. At first, Helena's face was one of confusion. Then, the light bulb went on and that look was replaced with fear. She turned around to leave, but Reese grabbed her first.

"Let me go," she hissed at him.

"No."

"Let. Me. Go." Her eyes changed as they narrowed.

"Helena, listen to me. She can't get in. It's 3:50 in the morning. Arkham is closed to visitors and she can't break in. The security there is unbelievable these days," Reese told her. Helena struggled with him for a little bit, but he had a firm grip on her.

"Helena." Barbara's voice was harsh. Helena looked over at her.

"Now, you listen to me. I sent Bruce over there to see if she's broken in. So far, she hasn't. So, you will not be going anywhere, do you understand me?" Barbara was definitely grumpy.

Helena nodded sheepishly and sat down in the nearest chair.

"Now you see why I'm all the way over here," Dinah said to break the ice. Everyone laughed as Barbara glared at Dinah.

BATMOBILE LOST A WHEEL AND THE JOKER TOOK BALLET HEY!

Bruce was scouting around Arkham. He was tired, sore, and now dirty. This was the perfect end to the perfect day. He got in a fight with both his daughter and the woman he loved. Now, he was watching Arkham at 4 o'clock in the morning to see if Selina would break in to kill Clayface.

Would Selina break in? Bruce honestly didn't know. It would be something Catwoman would do. Catwoman always loved a challenge. Breaking into Arkham, a place with top-notch security, would be something she couldn't resist. But that was 25 years ago. Selina had grown up. Bruce had only been with her for a week, but the change in her was so vast that it was evident the second he saw her.

That change in Selina's character was what pissed Bruce off about being out here. He really didn't think that Selina would break into Arkham. That sort of behavior seemed juvenile to the new Selina. Sure, she still had a prominent bad streak in her, but Helena had tamed the wildest side of her, something Bruce was never able to accomplish. Well, he laughed as he thought to himself, at least I helped a little.

A snapped twig brought him back to reality. He quietly went to see what made the twig snap.

When he got to the other side of the building, he didn't see anything. Then, getting into his Batman mode (A/N: I don't know why I like calling it that!), he started scouting around. He was so immersed in looking for clues (after all, he is known as the best detective), that he didn't hear the footsteps coming up until they were right behind him.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He heard the footsteps a second before they stopped. He counted slowly to 10 and turned around, prepared to hit...

(A/N: Hmm...maybe I should leave it here...or not...)

...A stray dog. He laughed as the dog barked at him and ran off.

"Wow, if that's not a sign that I've become paranoid, I don't know what is." He walked around for a bit before turning on his coms.

"Oracle, it's all quiet here. She's not going to show up."

"I'm coming to the same conclusion. Head on back and we'll wait for her to contact us. She doesn't want to be found."

"Copy that. I'm out." Bruce turned off his coms and started walking towards that clock tower. When he was halfway there, an ironic thought came to him and he voiced it out loud.

"I never thought I would take orders from my protégée."

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

A/N: No, this isn't the end of the fic, just the chapter:) Hope you like it! Let me know what you think! If you can't get to my review thingee from my profile here is the website:

http/ worldleaderoftomorrow. com

Just take out the spaces. You know the drill.

Well, I'm out. Until next time!


	6. The Joker's Story

A/N: Ok, you guys have made me feel so special.... I got the warm fuzzies!! And that's for two reviews in a day! Wow! Ok, enough of my blabbing! On with the story!

Chapter Five: Joker's Story

Joker looked at her.

"Wow, Helena, you look a lot like Selena. Except for the dark hair and blue eyes. You must get that from your father. Did she ever tell you who he was?" 

Helena was confused. Why was he asking this? He must want me to trust him, she thought. In truth, her mother had never told her who her father was. She had figured it out after she had died, so she shook her head.

"Ah, that figures! She never told anyone anything except what was necessary. When she retired, she told me that I would never find out who her lover was. I think she was right, although not from a lack of trying." He laughed.

Helena heard Barbara gasp in her coms.

"Helena, don't believe him. He might be putting you into a trap."

"Joker, is there a reason you wrote me? Or am I going to have to wait all day?" Helena wanted to get back to business.

"Yes, we'll get to that, but I have to tell you a little story first."

"Ok. But there is something that's been bugging me. Tell me, how did you know about me?" That question had boggled both Helena and Barbara's minds for a while.

"What do you mean, 'how do you know me?' She told me." For once, Joker stopped smiling, and looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

"She did?"

"Well, yeah. We were friends and even partners sometimes. Look Helena, I would love to chat some more, but I have to tell you my story. There is something very time-sensitive that we have to do and you need to know some things first. We only have an hour, and I have a lot to tell you. Is this going to be okay with you?" Joker looked anxious.

"...Sure." Helena started to feel uneasy. She really didn't think she was ready to handle this meeting anymore.

Joker leaned forward. "Ok, now I've had seven years to plan out this story and I have to get it all out. No interruptions." Helena made a move to say something, but he put his hand up.

"You'll see when I'm done." With that, Joker began his story.

***

A/N: Well that's it!!...Hey *ducks from rotten fruit* I was only kidding!!!! For the record, remember that I'm making this all up. I haven't read the comics or anything really Batman-ish so don't be upset if I get it wrong!

***

"In the Underworld, there was a kind of organization for crime. I was a very organized man. We didn't want to rob the same bank twice in a week, or attack the same family twice a month. With me so far?" Helena nodded, so he continued.

"Well, one of the best thieves around was Catwoman, your mother. She always got what she went after. We worked together a couple of times, but we didn't see eye to eye on several things. One of the main things was killing. She never wanted to kill civilians if she could help it. If you know what kind of criminal I was, you know I felt the opposite. We still respected the others work, though."

"I was the brains of the whole gang, the leader if you will. Everyone told me what or who they were going to hit. I alone knew everyone's real identity in the Underworld. I also knew where the next target was."

"She was a good woman, Helena. Never let anyone tell you different. She was beautiful, intelligent, and was a great friend. She was the only thief that was never caught by Him. Do you know who Batman was?"

"Yes."

"I hated him. Stupid little goody-two-shoes. But I got even with him. I killed his two favorite people in the world. Oh, I haven't thought about that in years. Oh man, good times." Joker closed his eyes and smiled.

"So, because they put you in prison for about an hour, you killed them?" Helena was starting to get upset.

"Yeah. I shot his little Robin in the head during a battle, and I got Batgirl good. Oh, she deserved it, that one. Little bitch wasn't even expecting it."

"Wait, what about my mother?" Helena couldn't stop herself from asking.

"What about her?" Joker looked at Helena's face confused. Then, a light went on in his face. Joker started to laugh.

"Oh.... My...GOD!!! You're...Selena's...and..." He stopped, gasping for air.

"How could I not have seen it? I mean, she always got away."

"Helena, listen to me. Get out of there. Now. He knows now. He might hurt you." Barbara's voice was in a total panic mode.

Helena got up. Joker stopped laughing and looked at her. He got up too.

"Helena, please don't go. I'm sorry. That was extremely rude of me." He then saw Helena's eyes. They were in feral mode. 

"Ok, calm down. Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I asked you to come here for something important. Besides, it's been seven years. I'm not that crazy anymore. I'm old, I've gotten over it.....well, most of it." He smiled at her.

Helena looked unconvinced, but she figured that in a fight, she could mop the floor with him, so she sat back down.

"So, I noticed you have her powers. That's cool. But, back to my story. Well, one day Selena came in to see me. She told me that Catwoman had to retire. I asked her why, and she told me that she was pregnant. That shocked me. I asked her who the father was, and she wouldn't tell me. Now I know why." He looked at Helena and smiled.

"Had she told you, would you have come after me?"

"There isn't a doubt in my mind. Yes, Helena, I would have gone after you and I would have killed you. Thankfully, seven years of prison has shown me that I shouldn't kill people."

"Ok, so she quit."

"Yes she quit. Fast forward about sixteen years. Clay Face comes in. He was another criminal. He tells me that he had in mind a kill. The target was a woman in her forties that he was in love with. She had refused his love several times. Of course, he had forgotten about his girlfriend and teenage son at the time. I asked him the name, and the name was Selena Kyle."

Helena's eyes widened.

"I know, I did the same thing. I froze. See, nobody knew that I knew everyone's identity. I took down all of the stats like nothing was wrong. We do those stats for a reason, Helena. Nobody had figured this out before me. I swear, I was a criminal genius! Well, I had found a way to make hits work. To plan a good murder, we needed to move police action up a bit, so we would set up a couple of car jacks and stick ups."

"You BASTARD!!!" Helena jumped out of her chair and lunged for him. "You knew he was coming to kill her and you did nothing??!!!"

"Helena calm down!"

"No, I won't calm down. You tell me why! Tell me why you didn't stop him?!" 

"Helena, I couldn't let him know that I knew her identity. Sit down, I'm not finished yet." Helena sat down, still glaring at him. Oh, if Joker didn't have a really good explanation, she would kill him. Heck, she might do it anyway.

"Well, the week before, I had done some research on your mother. I looked up immediate family members. You were there, and there was only one other living relative listed."

"Who was that?"

"Well, Helena, it seemed that your mother had a twin sister named Sarah Kyle."

***

At the clock tower...

Barbara was double-checking Joker's information. Sarah Kyle? Who was he trying to kid?

Barbara looked up Selena's birth certificate. Sure enough, there was another baby girl born that day with the last name Kyle: Sarah Elizabeth Kyle.

"Helena...he's telling the truth."

Selena, how could you hide this from me? Barbara was in shock.

***

Back to Jail!

"A twin sister?" Helena was in disbelief. How could her mother hide this from her?

"Yes. Well, you see, Sarah was bipolar. Plus she was seriously depressed all the time. She had a real chemical balance problem. It got to the point that she was trying to commit suicide every day. Finally, when she was seventeen, your grandparents admitted her to a mental hospital. I visited her there. She was still depressed, and I asked her if she would die for me. She said yes."

"You did WHAT??!!"

"I'm not done yet, Helena. The night before Clay Face's 'date' was, I went looking for her with two of my henchmen. I found her on Adams Street."

"That's where I used to live. She had called me that day, saying she needed to talk to me," Barbara said to Helena, "Later, she called saying she couldn't make it."

"I shot Selena with a tranquilizer dart. She had no idea what hit her. As soon as she had fallen, my henchmen picked her up and carried her to the car. We took her to an area outside of Gotham."

"Wait, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Your mother's not dead, Helena. Sarah died in her place. Selena Kyle is still alive."

***

A/N: Oh, cliffhanger!! Sorry, but I have to end this! I know, it's a little farfetched, but hey! That's fan fiction, right?? Like it? Hate it? Want to cook it in a stew?? Let me know and review!!! Hehe...sorry, it's really late.


	7. Saying Goodbye to Joker

A/N: Hey everyone!! I'm glad that you like it so far! Also, this is kind of a transition chapter, so now you are warned! :)

****

Chapter Six

"My mother's alive? That's impossible. I was with her all day. Don't you think I would have known if it wasn't her?" Helena was starting to get upset. How dare he try to toy with her feelings.

"Well, actually you wouldn't have thought twice about it, Helena. You didn't know that your mother had a twin. You would only have thought she was acting strange. Think about it, Helena. Are you telling me that your mother wasn't strange at all that day?"

Helena sat back, trying to remember anything strange.

* * *

"Mom, is something wrong?" A sixteen-year-old Helena Kyle walked into the living room, and saw her mother staring into space.

"No. Don't worry about me, Helena." Her mother looked at her, and Helena saw sadness in her eyes. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"You're thinking about Him, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"What do you mean, 'Who?' Him. My father?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. No, I'm not thinking about Him. I'm just sad today. Don't you ever fell that way, Helena? Sad, but you don't understand why?"

"No." Helena was confused. Her mother was always happy, unless she was thinking about Him.

"Good. I'm glad that you have never felt this way. I hope you never do. It's a horrible feeling. It makes you feel...like life isn't worth living."

* * *

Helena hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but looking back, it was extremely odd behavior for her mother.

"Helena?" The Joker's voice brought her back to reality.

"Yes?"

"Look, I know this is a lot to handle, but I don't want you to get your hopes up. She may not be living anymore."

"Why?"

"Well, I've been in a maximum security prison for seven years. I didn't plan on being arrested. I was thinking and planning on having her there for a month or two at the most."

"So, she could have starved to death in the mean time??!!" Helena was starting to get upset again.

"Look, this is what I did. I hired someone to bring food and water to her, and two guards. Those guards were to let in that man and me. In case Clay Face took our identities, there was a password to be let in. If you want, I can make you a map, but you might have to take out the guards. If you have your mother's abilities, that should be no problem, granted they are still there." Joker grimaced.

"Ok." Helena was getting nervous. The thought of her being stabbed in the street was horrible enough. What had her mother really gone through? Was she still alive? She had to be. Helena couldn't bear to lose her mother again.

She watched the Joker as he was making a map. Her opinion of him had changed. Sure, he was the same bastard that had rendered Barbara paralyzed from the waist down, but prison seemed to change him. He had saved her mother's life. He may have been a horrible villain, but he was loyal to those he worked with.

"Ok, I think I'm done here." Joker said. He handed her a map.

"Thank you." Helena stood up.

"No, Helena, thank you. Please don't get your hopes up. I'm so sorry that I didn't plan ahead. I'm even more sorry that I'm sending you there, but there is a chance that she's still alive. Take care, ok? And, if she is alive, will you have her write me a letter, or something?"

"Of course."

Helena pushed the button. Immediately, two guards came in.

"Thank you for your time." She cordially shook his hand.

"The pleasure was mine." He left with the guards.

Helena left the police station. When she was safely back in her hotel room, she sank down on the bed and looked at the map Joker had made for her. 

"Huntress?" The voice startled her. She fell off the bed with a large THUMP.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" Barbara was using her I'm-concerned-but-still-in-charge voice.

"Oracle, I believe him. I have to go." Helena was almost in tears.

"I know. I don't trust him at all, but I understand. We'll start planning as soon as you get back. But keep in mind, we will have a plan if this is a trap."

* * *

A/N: All done!! Sorry if my paragraphs are all funny. My tab key isn't working. Everything is falling apart!!! *sob* Hey, I heard the "drama queen" cough!!! *stares evilly at the person reading who did that* Anywho, I'll update soon. Review please. :)


	8. Going to the warehouse

A/N: Hello! Yes, I am alive, and I feel bad. I've had the worst writer's block. Then, it came to me in my math class!! Good to know high school's good for something, right? Anyhoo, the next update might be a while because I'm graduating in three weeks!! Yay for me! Also, my computer is acting funny again. My little stars aren't working... so everything that I wanted a star on (which there is a grand total of ONE!!) has brackets on it? K?? Alright, I'll stop blabbing.

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Chapter 7

Helena returned to New Gotham as soon as she could. The plane ride was uneventful; she sat in deep thought the entire time. By the time she got to the clock tower, she was ready to go.

"Good. You're back." Barbara rolled over to Helena and hugged her.

"Are you ok?"

"Barbara, I'm fine. A little catatonic (A/N: hehe, get it? Cat-atonic? [Cricket noise]) but fine." Helena walked over to the Delphi system. She pulled out the map Joker had given her and handed it to Barbara.

"Can you get a good location for this place?"

"Of course. I'm Oracle. I can do anything!" Barbara smiled as she typed in the address.

"Ok. It's an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. Pretty worn down." Barbara continued doing her typing thing. (A/N: You all know what I mean? It has to be impossible to type that fast...she should be a flight attendant)

"Has there been any human activity around there?"

"Not much. There have only been three men that have gone near the place in the last six months. What do you think?"

"I think she's there." Helena started toward the elevator.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Dinah walked over to Helena.

"Dinah, where do you think I'm going? I'm going to save my mother."

"Not without me, you aren't. Just wait a sec while I go and change." Dinah ran to her room.

"Don't even think about it." Barbara said as Helena ran to the elevator.

An hour later, a block from the warehouse, outskirts of New Gotham...

Helena jumped to the street. She quickly walked over to a van that Dinah was in.

"Ready?"  
  
"I was born ready." Helena stared at her.

"What? Sorry, I just never get to use that line. So, what's our plan?"

"Well, there should be two men guarding the door. We're going to take them out."

"Huntress?"

"What?"

"Are you sure this isn't a trap?"

"No."

They came up to the warehouse. Sure enough, there were two huge men guarding the door.

Helena motioned to Dinah to stay put while she moved to the other side. When she got there, she mouthed, "Let's go."

"Hello, boys. What're you two doing here?" Dinah said as they walked up.

"Look, little lady, get out of here before we make you."

"Sorry, but we have business here." Helena said before punching the guy in the jaw.

Before five minutes had passed, both men were knocked out on the ground, Helena had a sore shoulder, and Dinah was starting to bleed from a small cut on her cheek.

"I am so gonna get that guy for wearing a ring." Dinah spat.

"Canary, you already knocked him out cold. Let me see that." Helena walked over to her and looked at her cheek.

"It's not bad. You'll live." Helena looked at the door.

"Huntress, you ready?"

"Yeah."

They both walked over to the door and opened it. It was dark inside the building. Helena's eyes went feral. She could see what looked like a living room and kitchen. All of a sudden, a man opened a door to another room, and came in. In a second, Helena had him pinned to the wall.

"Where is she?" She growled.

"Who?" The man couldn't hide the fear in his voice.

"Selena Kyle. Tell me. Now."

"I don't know. I won't tell you a thing. You c-can't sc-scare me." Oh yeah. This guy was making his point. You could see the terror in Huntress now.

"Look, I don't want to have to hurt you, but if you don't tell me where she is..."

"Why are you looking for her?" The guy was obviously trying to stall.

"Ok, I'm not a patient person. Canary, check him. Find her."

Dinah walked up to the man and gave him an evil smile. He looks a little frightened, she thought. In one quick movement, she grabbed his wrist and entered his mind.

"She's in the room that he just left," she said after a minute.

"Wait, h-h-how..." He never finished his sentence. Helena had kicked him across the face and knocked him out.

"Stupid jerk."

They walked to the door. Helena turned to Dinah.

"Be ready to attack. We don't know what's in this room." Dinah nodded.

Helena opened the door. Inside was a bed and a nightstand. There was a woman sleeping in the bed. She looked strangely familiar...

"Mom?"

Ok...that should do it. For now. I'm going to try and finish the next chapter tomorrow and then type it, so it should be up by next week. Anyone have any comments? Suggestions? Let me hear 'em. The only way I can improve is by you guys! I want to thank my reviewers:

Oracle90, 451, SHADOW, Angel452, and THEHUNTRESS06. I also want to thank my friend Ashley for reviewing, and my two friends Lindsey and Jackie for actually reading my fanfic!! You guys rock!! warm fuzzies Alrighty!!


	9. Motherdaughter bonding

A/N: Look, I am soooooo sorry about the update. Good news, I finally graduated and got myself ready for college. Bad news: My mother decided that the computer was dirty inside and vacuumed it (yes I'm serious, she vacuumed it).....I don't have any clue why she did it, but it cost us about 600 dollars to get it fixed. I swear, I could not believe it..... Now that it's fixed again I can update. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can finish the fight scene (which, by the way, I'm really bad at. Anyone wanna help??? nudge nudge) Ok, enough of my talking. On with the chapter.

****

Disclaimer: Look, if I owned them....you know what? I ain't even gonna try. If you think I own them, give me money!!!! Yeah, I didn't think so.

****

Chapter 8

"Mom!! Mom!" Helena ran over to her mother's bedside. Selena Kyle didn't move. Helena started to shake her.

"Mom? Wake up!" Helena was panicking until she saw her mother's chest rising and falling. She was alive!

"Oracle! It's her. She's alive!"

"Really?" Came the voice in her ear. Oracle's voice was full of relief.

"Yeah, but she's unconscious. She was never this heavy a sleeper."

"Ok, bring her to the clock tower. We'll examine her and figure out what's what."

Helena picked up her mother and walked out the door. Dinah came over.

"Helena...is that her?"

"Yes. Let's get her to the clock tower."

Back at the clock tower........

"She's been drugged. And it looks like this hasn't been the first time. Obviously they have been drugging her so that she couldn't escape." Barbara announced as she finished examining Selena. "She's lucky that meta-humans don't overdose as much as regular humans, or she wouldn't be alive."

"Will she wake up?" Helena was starting to get angry. She was seriously considering going back to that warehouse and doing some more damage. First her mother was dead. Then she was alive, and now she had been drugged?!

"She should be awake in a couple of hours. Helena, we have to be careful. This will be the first time in a long time that she's going to be fully conscious. She might be a little dangerous. This is the first time Catwoman's been caged."

"I know."

Some time later......

Selena woke up about three hours later. The first thing she saw was her daughter's face.

"What the...."

"Mom?! You're awake!" Helena was ecstatic.

"H-Helena? Wh-where am I? What are you doing here?" Her mother looked at her, disbelief written in her face.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. You're safe. I saved you from that prison that you've been in for seven years."

Selena hugged Helena, who had tears in her eyes. As soon as Helena said, "seven years," she pulled away.

"Seven years? SEVEN YEARS!!!! Oh, my GOD!! Helena, how did this happen?" Selena was starting to panic. Helena was getting worried. Barbara had told her not to excite her mother too much. Now she had done it.

"Mom, calm down. Look, yelling about it and panicking won't help." Wow. Had those words come out of her mouth? Helena couldn't believe that she sounded like an adult.

"I know.....it's just....seven YEARS!! It's hard to take in. Oh, Helena, you've grown up so much. And you cut your hair. You look so beautiful." Selena hugged Helena. They both were teary eyed. Helena sighed. This was her dream since her mother had been stabbed. It was a real dream come true.

"Helena!" Selena stopped suddenly and grabbed Helena's arm.

"What?" Helena was starting to worry. Her mother had paled suddenly.

"Do you remember Barbara Gordon?"

"Y-yeah."

"Is she alive? Is Barbara Gordon alive?" Selena looked horrified as she looked at her daughter.

"Yes. She's alive. Why?"

"She is??!! I don't believe it. This is great. Can I see her?" There was relief in her face. Helena couldn't figure out why Barbara being alive would bring so much relief to her mom.

"There's no need. I'm here." Barbara wheeled into the room. The look of relief turned to horror as Selena saw the wheelchair.

"Oh, no. Barbara, I'm so sorry. He shot you, didn't he?"

"What?! Yes, he did....how did you know that? Hey! It's Ok!" The last part was said as Selena burst into tears.

"That.....was why...I called you. Joker was telling me.....about his plan...and I wanted....to warn you, but.....on the way....someone shot me with a dart." Selena started to calm down a little bit as Helena hugged her.

After a minute, she had calmed down.

"Oh, this is so unbelievable. Barbara, I'm so glad to see that you're alright. Have you been taking care of my baby for me?" Helena cringed at the baby comment. She was 23 years old damn it!! Oh, well. For now, her mother could call her whatever she wanted. Triple underline the 'for now.'

"Yes, I have. Helena has become a hero, like her father."

Selena's eyes glazed over for a second, but immediately changed back.

"Good. We need more good guys. Oh, Helena, I'm so proud of you. Tell me all about your life. I want to know everything."

"Good, we have all night..." and with that, Helena started talking. She told her mom everything except for her relationship with Reese.

They went on talking the entire night, and nobody heard a peep, except for when Selena yelled, "MY DAUGHTER IS A BARTENDER??!!"

A/N: Ok, all done for now. Well, if you would like to help me out with the fighting scene, there are instructions below. If not, this is it. Don't look down cuz it will spoil the next chapter for you!

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First off, I would like to thank those of you considering helping me. I do believe that fight scenes are not my best. Well, here is the layout for next chapter.

Helena is going on sweeps with Selena instead of Dinah. Basically, it's a mother-daughter bonding experience, so those of you wanting to do a bonding thing, this is perfect. There is no really big bad guy in store yet, just some punks robbing banks, purses, or maybe beating up someone, I don't know. If you want to write yourself in, go ahead! :) Also, I promise, cross my heart, that I will give you credit!!!

After you're done writing it, you can email me at: revester at mad.scientist.com.

Thanks!!!

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	10. Going on Sweeps with Mom

A/N: I forgot to mention something in my last chapter. Selena knows who Reese is, but she doesn't know that Helena's dating him...(hehe, I'll save that for later!!!) Plus, I figured that since Catwoman's mask is with Helena, she would also have the suit. Oh, and I wrote the fight scene, so beware!! I avoided them at all cost, so there is only a little bit, but I'm sure that they are really lame, and I'm sorry!

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Chapter 9

"C'mon Barbara!!! Please??" Helena Kyle, on her knees? Begging? Surely this must be the wrong story. But it isn't.

"No." Barbara replied.

"Oh, please? I can't come. I have a date. Why not let them have some bonding?" Dinah said as she came down the steps.

"No. Selena cannot go. Am I the only sane person in here? She is supposed to be DEAD!! Catwoman can't just go out and beat up some punks. People might get suspicious."

"Please, Barbara? I won't do anything too bad. I promise. Pretty please, with sugar on top?" Now Selena was in on it too. Both her and Helena were looking at poor Barbara with puppy dog eyes, which is ironic, since they're cat people.

With these three against her, how could she say no? Barbara threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine! Go! But, Selena can't be Catwoman! No, don't look at me that way, Selena. You can wear the suit, but you can't be her. (A/N: Did that make sense? It did when I thought it, but looking at it, it really doesn't...) Be careful."

Out on the streets....

"Wow. I never thought this thing would fit me again after I got pregnant with you..." Selena was dressed as Catwoman. Surprisingly, she had lost enough weight from her seven-year imprisonment to actually fit into her suit.

"I'm so excited. We get to go and fight together." Helena was like a seven-year-old again. She wanted to show her mother everything. Oracle's voice brought her back to reality.

"Huntress, there's a robbery on East 62nd street. (A/N: Yes, I am SO creative with street names!!!) It's a jewelry store. Looks like 3, maybe 4 thugs."

"We're on it. Huntress out." Helena climbed up the building, Selena right behind her.

"Wow...you have my powers?" Selena looked at Helena, pride evident on her face.

"Yeah."

"Well, I thought...you're father being....you know, human.....that you would either have your own or none." Selena looked a little uncomfortable talking about Helena's father.

"Mom, ever since I found out who my father was" Selena looked up at Helena sharply, "I always wanted to know why you didn't tell me."

"Oh, Helena. I wanted to protect you. He....wouldn't be able to do his job with a daughter. The criminals would figure it out and use you against him. I couldn't tell you because you were too young. You wouldn't have understood what risks a crime fighter takes...you would have been angry with him. I was going to tell you when he was ready to retire. About the time I was going to tell him."

"Oh." That was the answer she was expecting.

Then reality hit. Helena smiled at her mother, who smiled back.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It'll sound stupid."

"No, it won't. Besides, I'm you're mother. I'm supposed to hear stupid stuff."

"Well, I always wanted to spend time with you, the real you. Catwoman. And now I can."

Selena started to tear up, and pulled Helena in for a hug. After a minute, she let go and started to wipe her eyes.

"Hmm...won't be that intimidating with my mascara running."

Helena laughed. How right that was.

Five minutes later, they were across town and on the roof of the jewelry store. The thieves were about to leave. Helena jumped down to them.

"Sorry, boys. Party's over."

Selena jumped beside her and said nothing. She just prepared herself for the fight.

One of the thugs went right up to Helena and swung. She easily dodged, and tripped him. Once he was on the ground, she stepped over him and hit the guy next to him. Selena was dealing with thug number three. He grabbed her fist and pulled it behind her. She kicked her heel against his....sensitive areas. He immediately let her go, and she kicked him across the face. By this time, Helena had knocked out idiot number two. The last guy, who was wisely watching, turned and fled.

"After you." Catwoman said to her daughter.

Helena easily caught up with the guy and brought him back. Together they tied up the crooks to a lamppost and brought the jewels back to the store.

Once back on the rooftops, Selena looked back at the jewelry store and snorted. Helena looked at her mother curiously.

"Sorry, it's just...I once robbed this jewelry store. I saved the jeweler's life once from one of my assailants. Wonder if he remembers me? Or if he's still alive."

"You saved his life?"

"Well, yeah. There was no need to kill him. He surrendered, we got the jewels. Then one of my partners wanted to kill him. I told him no. Well, technically, I kicked him across the face and called him an idiot. Same thing, right? Then, Barbara showed up."

"You fought Barbara?"

"And won!!! Yeah, I always beat her."

"I beg to differ." Oracle's voice came through loud and clear on the comms. Selena smiled.

"What are you talking about? I always kicked Bird Boy and Bat Girl's butt!"

"Please. Besides, that day, you didn't win. I was just distracted by your cat buddy shooting a gun at me."

"One of your helpers (A/N: Well, what do you call them?) shot a gun at you?" Helena asked Oracle.

"Yeah. He missed though. He hit me, that lazy son of a bitch." Selena said, just a tad bitter.

"I remember that. Anyway, Detective Reese is on his way over." Oracle was getting back to business, as was her way.

Helena was shocked. Reese. Of course, he would be working tonight. She wasn't ready to tell her mother about her love life the same way she wasn't ready to tell Reese that her mother was alive. Think, Helena, think.

"Well, then we should be going then." Helena got up. Selena looked at her with confusion.

"Wait, I thought he was your partner. Don't you want to talk to him?"

"Well...yeah, it's just..." Damn. "There's not much to talk about. These bumbling idiots were looking for money. They don't seem to be looking for a way to take over the world." Inwardly, Helena cringed. She can't believe she just said that. Wow, she really needed to work on her lying skills.

"Uh-huh....Helena, you like him, don't you? You just want to avoid him. Unless... you don't want me to meet him." Selena looked at her daughter. Uh-oh. She hated her mother's way of thinking.

"No, it's just that..."

"Helena..." Now she was using the mother tone. The you-had-better-tell-me-because-I'll-figure-it-out-anyway tone. Helena was weakening. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Look, he's a cop. He'll figure out who you are by your outfit. I don't want you to go to jail when I finally got you back." Helena thanked the Lord for being able to think of that one. The truth was, she knew that Reese wouldn't arrest her mother. She would kill him first.

"Ok...whatever. You win. We'll go."

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful for them. Selena told Helena war stories, and Helena told some of her own.

At the clocktower...

Barbara was watching for signs of a crime when Alfred came in. She had been waiting for him to come in for a while. A scheme was forming in her head, and she needed his help.

"Oh, hi Alfred. Hey, I need to talk to you."

"Well, certainly Miss Barbara." The aged butler sat down.

"Well, Selena's alive. You know, Helena has wanted this for so long. A family...and-"

"And a family is not always complete without the father?" Alfred finished for her.

"Yes. Do you think that he'd be better off not knowing that she's alive, or that she might not want to see him again...there are so many possibilities."

"Well, Miss Barbara, if I know one person, it was Master Bruce. The love he felt for Selena was real. Her death nearly killed him. I believe that seeing her again and having her alive would do nothing but make him happy. As for Miss Selena, I believe you probably need to talk to her about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish dinner." Alfred got up.

Hearing that was what Barbara needed. She had known in her gut that Bruce would have to know that Selena was alive, and it was about time that he knew that he had a daughter. (A/N: I am pretending that the call Alfred made in the last episode didn't happen. For the record, I think that that was a really bad way to end the series!! Stupid WB!!) Now, all she had to do was talk to Selena.

A/N: Whew...all done with chapter nine!! WOO-HOO!!! Well, I hope you liked it, and I also hope that my fight scene was not too horribly lame. Well, tell me what you think. As you can see, when people review it, I actually update faster....okay, that's a lie cuz I really don't update faster. Let's try again. As you can see, when I am stuck on vacation without a computer and then in a car for an eighteen hour drive where I have nothing to do but drive and write, I update faster. But please review anyway....to make a poor writer happy????

Special thanks to my reviewers: (See review and you'll get a personal message and a smiley!!! hehe)

THEHUNTRESS06: Thanks for being my first reviewer ever...and for saying it gets better and better. And I've written more, so WHERE'S MY SUGAR???!!! :)

Eriks Little Stalker: Like I said, I don't know anything. I just assume. Oh, well.... she was really 14??? Wow.... :)

Amish: Ok ok ok ok ok!!! It was your review that got me to come back as fast as I could. I really hate disappointing people and I'm glad that you got me off my lazy butt. :)

Keri: I know that my chapters are short. This one's a little longer. I'm working on it. I hoped you liked my mother-daughter bonding! :)

ethian weatherwax: :Evil smile: Yes, she is going to totally freak!!! I can't wait to write that part. And I can't believe you saw where I was going with my story. I thought I was so discreet.....Double smiley for you!!! :) :)

magnetojr89: I know.....it is about time.... thank you for saying my chapter is great! :)

A special thanks to Meatloaf for reading my story and giving her two cents. :)

And a special NO thanks to my sister, who keeps "forgetting" to read this. Mean smiley to you!!! :P Even though you probably won't see this.....

Ok!!! Bye And REVIEW!!! :)


	11. The talk with Barbara

A/N: Hey guys! My boss decided that since I had a vacation, I should be working more hours, but I ain't complaining. Also, I want this chapter to go right. I've gone through about three drafts of it...here's what I think is the best one! :)

After sweeps, Helena and Selena came back with smiles on their faces. Barbara looked up and smiled.

"Have a good time?"

"Nothing beats bonding time where you can kick butt!" Helena said. They continued to smile, until Barbara broke the silence.

"I hate to break up this smiling contest, but I actually need to talk to Selena. Alone." Selena and Helena looked at each other. Suddenly, Helena cracked up.

"Ohhh.... Mom's in trouble." Selena looked at her daughter with the I-can't-believe-she-just-said-that face. (C'mon, we all know that face!)

"Well, that's fine. I have to work tomorrow anyway. Here is the address to the Dark Horse Bar. Mom, I'd love to see you." Helena said goodbye to Barbara and Selena (Dinah wasn't home yet.... guess who's gonna be in trouble?) and left for her apartment.

"Wow, she left early." Selena observed.

"Well, she's probably going to see Reese tonight." Barbara said nonchalantly. Selena looked at Barbara, confused.

"Why would she go see him tonight?" Barbara started at the question.

"She.... didn't tell you?" Barbara was the confused one now.

"Didn't tell me what?" Selena started to look a little dangerous now.

"Umm.... nothing. Maybe she should tell you." Barbara started to wheel away but was stopped by Selena. She made a mental note to put in a go really fast mode on her wheelchair.

"Tell me. Right. Now."

"Umm.... well, her and Reese are kind of...dating?" Barbara closed her eyes, waiting for Selena to erupt. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see that Selena had not moved. She was in shock. After a minute of waving her hand in Selena's face, Barbara got her attention.

"Ok. Going to have to talk to my daughter later. So, anyway, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Barbara had forgotten about the talk that they were supposed to have.

"Oh, yeah. Um, you may want to sit down for this." They went over to a couch. Selena sat down with Barbara right across from her.

"Ok. What's up?"

"I don't really know how to start. You've been back for about three or four days, right?" Selena nodded. "Well, in that time, you got to reconnect with Helena. I was just wondering if there might be someone else that you might want to see?"

"Where are you going with this, Barbara? You had better not be going where I think you're going?" Selena had narrowed her eyes. The venom in her voice made it clear that she didn't want to discuss what they were discussing. The resemblance between her and Helena was almost laughable, if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Yes I am. Selena, do you want to see Bruce again?"

Selena leaped out of her chair.

"Barbara, we are NOT going to have this conversation! I really can't deal with this right now! Oh, my God! I can't believe you just asked me that!" She started to walk away when Barbara grabbed her arm.

"Wait, we're not finished yet. Sit." Selena sat down.

"Look, Selena, you have to know some things about after you 'died.' When Bruce found out, it nearly killed him. He shut himself off from everyone and didn't speak for days. After about a month, he left." Barbara looked at Selena. She was looking at her feet and nothing else.

"Even if you don't want to see him, you owe it to your daughter to talk to him. He needs to know that he has a daughter. It's not fair to Helena." (A/N: I'm going to pretend that the call in the last episode of BOP didn't happen. And for the record, that was a really pathetic way to end the series!)

"You're right." Selena looked up at Barbara. Her eyes were watering.

"I really hate to admit it, but you're right. He's not Batman anymore. The only reason I was putting off the thought of going to see him was fear. I haven't spoken to him in twenty-four years, Barbara. That is not a good enough reason to deny him Helena. She really needs to get to know him. Oh, dear, what am I going to say to him? 'Hey Bruce, yeah, it's me. By the way, I'm not dead, oh and yeah, you're a father of a twenty-three year old named Helena Kyle who decided to take your place in New Gotham.'" She was starting to break down. Barbara went over to her and raised her head to meet Barbara's gaze.

"Selena, you have to tell him what's in your heart. Look, none of this was your fault. You did what was best for Helena by not telling him before. He'll eventually understand. And so will she, for that matter. Besides, you don't have to go tomorrow. You can have a couple of days to prepare, and then go when you're ready. If you want, Helena or I can come too. In fact, Helena may want to come."

"No, this is something I need to do myself. If he wants to be Helena's dad, then he can come to New Gotham and see her at her best. If I know anything, it's Helena. She wouldn't do well in that situation. In fact, I probably won't do much better." Selena smiled.

"Then it's settled." Barbara smiled at Selena.

"Good, I'm glad I got that out of my system. Now I have to go and be parental. Now, you said Helena lives in an apartment above the bar?" Barbara nodded.

"That is something else to talk to her about. Now, this Reese guy. Where does he live?"

Barbara started laughing as she gave Selena Reese's address. When Selena got up to catch Helena, Barbara stopped her.

"Just remember, she's twenty-three and very cranky."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm glad she's dating. I'm just mad that she didn't tell me. For that, I'm just going to embarrass her a little." Selena winked and jumped out of the clock tower towards Helena's apartment.

"Oh, boy. Helena is not going to be happy." Barbara said to herself as she started to get ready for bed. She suddenly looked at her watch.

"Where is Dinah?"

Will Helena be at her apartment, Reese's? Where is Dinah? How is Helena going to react when she finds out Barbara ratted her out? All these will be answered next chapter! For now, tell me what you think the answer's going to be. I might just change my mind on the answers based on what you think!!! I will tell you this: Helena is with Reese, so next chapter, he's going to meet Mom either way!!

Yes, I know....cliffhanger....again. But I just had to stop it there. By the way, does anyone know where Bruce goes? I have no clue. If no one else knows, I'll just do what I did with the Joker.

:)


	12. Busted! Part One: Helena

A/N: Hello! I know, a quick update. Yes, it is me. I just had one of those things all you writers know about. I had what is opposite to writer's block. I just sat down, and all this came out. YAY!!!! This is going to be a fun little chapter!! This chapter will have Selena meeting Reese. Next chapter will have where Dinah's been. Have fun, and have pity for Helena for what I'm gonna do to her!! :)

Chapter 11

"Look, the bar is closed! I don't know how you- MOM! Um...what are you doing here?" Surprised doesn't even start to describe how Helena felt at this moment. She had opened the door an inch to find her mother there.

"Well, I wanted to see where my daughter lives. Can I come in?" Selena was using all her self-control to not burst out laughing at her daughter's reaction. She was now 100% positive her boyfriend was there. Right now, Helena was rubbing the back of her neck, a sure sign that she was trying to come up with an excuse. It was amazing to her to realize how well she still knew her daughter.

"You know, I would, but now is not a good time." She made to close the door, but Selena stuck her foot in the way.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"The apartment is really messy, and I have to clean it up a bit before I can show it to you. You know, tomorrow would really be a better time." Helena smiled sweetly, but her eyes were pleading with her mother to go away. Selena just pretended that she didn't see it.

"Helena Kyle, if you don't let me in right now...." (A/N: I really was going to add a middle name, but I couldn't come up with one that fit....drat!)

Thus began a staring contest. Mother and daughter just stood there, trying to intimidate each other. Catwoman vs. Huntress. Pity Reese had to spoil it all. (A/N: Ok, not really. I'm rather enjoying the fact that he spoiled it!!)

"Hey, who's at the door?" He had come up behind Helena. She cringed.

"Oh, no one important. I'm just the woman who gave her life. And who are you?" Selena answered the question due to the fact that Helena was in shock. She hadn't moved an inch since Reese had spoken.

"I thought you said that your mother was dead," Reese whispered in Helena's ear. Helena nodded and stepped aside to let her mom in. Her face was still one of shock.

Selena walked right in and held her hand out to Reese.

"Selena Kyle, Helena's mother."

"Jesse Reese, Helena's boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you Jesse." They shook hands. Selena looked over at poor Helena, who had sat down on the sofa, head in hands, contemplating her death.

"So...Helena told me that you were dead." Reese also looked over at Helena.

"Well, I thought she was dead. It's a long story. Basically, a friend saved her life and stashed her away. You really don't want to hear it all. That's what the Joker wanted to tell me." Helena spoke up, finally coming out of her stupor. She decided that this was, in fact, reality. She had pinched herself five times before she was sure.

"Yes, it is a really boring story. Besides, I want to know about you two. All Helena told me was that you were her cop partner." Selena said. Helena groaned.

"Mom...it's another long story. Basically, a woman named Harley Quinn tried to take over the city. Through a million crimes and attempts, we became partners, friends, and then we went out. Happy?"

"Harley Quinn? Harley Quinn....why does that name sound familiar? Hmm....I know that name..." Helena and Reese looked over at Selena. Reese was trying to figure out how she could possibly know one of New Gotham's infamous criminals, and Helena was trying to figure out why she hadn't mentioned Harley to her mother before. Suddenly, Selena jolted.

"Aha! Now I remember. She was part of the Criminal Underworld a long time ago." With that, Helena and Reese looked at each other and back at Selena. Reese started to go into cop mode.

"How exactly was she part of the Underworld?"

"Well, she was the Joker's lover as long as I can remember. She was pretty smart, but really nutty. She also had blonde hair, right?" Helena and Reese nodded.

"She was the Joker's lover?" Reese asked.

"Oh, yeah. They were kind of sickening really." She shuddered.

"How do you know all of this?" Both Helena and Selena started at the question. (A/N: We all knew this question was coming...) Selena looked at Helena. When Helena nodded, Selena looked back at Reese to answer his question.

"Well, when I was younger, I was part of the Underworld. I used to be the infamous Catwoman." She hissed for effect. Reese looked at her like she had gone insane. Then he looked at Helena.

"Hey, I told you that my mom was a cat burglar before she had me. I just failed to mention that she was the most notorious one." Things were getting too serious for Helena. She couldn't believe her mother was taking her relationship with Reese so well. In fact, she was taking it too well.

"Hey, Mom, why did you come over here?"

"Well, I told you that already. I wanted to see where my daughter lived. That being said, A BAR??!! You know, I was just getting used to the fact that my little ray of sunshine didn't go to college and became a bartender, and now I find out she lives in a bar! Honestly, Helena, it's not safe!"

"Little...ray of sunshine?" Reese was trying not to laugh at the glare Helena was sending his way.

"Oh, yeah. My little Helena was so perky. You're looking at the pep squad captain, and one of the most popular girl in school, even though she didn't think so. Plus, she had this HUGE crush on-" Selena was silenced by Helena clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Pep squad?" Reese looked at Helena, who started to blush.

"Of course. She even came up with most of the cheers herself, didn't you baby?" Selena looked over at Helena, who was giving her a look that made most criminals run to find a train that goes far, far away. Selena, however, ignored it.

"Did she?" Reese was having fun with this conversation. Not only did he just see Helena blush, which she NEVER did, he was learning things about her and talking to one of the people Helena loved most. Suddenly, something Helena had told him once popped into his mind.

"Helena, didn't you say that your father was Batman?" She nodded.

"And you were Catwoman. How did that happen?" He meant it all in good humor, but the look on Selena's face made it clear that he shouldn't have asked. After a minute, she spoke.

"You know that is a very good question. Why should I ruin the mystery?" She smiled at Reese, and the subject was dropped.

"Now, there is something I want to know. How long have you two been together?" Helena groaned. She knew where her mother was going with this. (A/N: I hope you all know where she's going to. If not, you will.)

"About a month, why?"

"Mom that's all you need to know." She glared at her mother again (A/N: Don't know why she would, since all her mom does is ignore it.) and silently begged her mom not to go into a sex talk. Selena nodded, and got up.

"Ok, ok. Just remember that I wasn't that much older than you, Helena, when I had you. Be careful." Helena knew she was way too lucky for her mother to just give up. Selena gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek, and opened the door. She took one step and turned back around.

"Helena, before I forget, there is something I have to tell you. Barbara and I talked. Yes, she ratted you out. But there was something more important that we talked about. I've decided that I'm going to leave in about a week. I'm going to go and see your father." That being said, she left.

For the second time that night, Helena was in shock. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Reese. He shrugged.

"What's wrong?"

"My father...he doesn't know he's a father."

"...Oh..."

A/N: There you have it! Helena now knows what her mother's going to do, and who ratted her out. Didn't you just love the little ray of sunshine? :) I had to add it in.

Alrighty, it's time for the reviewer acknowledgement!!! SMILEY TIME!! Remember, if you review, you get a personal message from me (and who wouldn't want that) and a smiley cuz I'm a happy person and everyone should get a smiley!! :)

The-destined-one: Thanks for thinking my story is cool! I think it is too! :)

Huntress06: I can't wait for Bruce to come back either. I hope you enjoyed Reese and Selena's meeting. I didn't think a meeting could take place without a couple of embarrassing Helena stories. And you're not That weird.... and I think it's cool that we have the same name! And you also have to stop offering me sugar if you aren't going to deliver.... It's just mean!!! :)

redladyreba: Thanks! I'm glad that you like my side A/N. It's a good way for me to add in what I was thinking. Plus, it's a good way to add in anything I think is funny. Sure some of them are lame, but so what?! :)

A BOP fan: Hi back! (I'm waving enthusiastically at the screen, but you can't see it) You know, I think Bruce should meet Reese, but first he has to meet Helena. If he survives that, we'll see!! And I'm really glad that you love my story! :)

Keria: Glad you liked Chapter 10! Keep reading and I'll keep writing! :)

Alexia: Well, thanks for at least saying you don't know. I don't think anyone knows.... Ho-hum. Maybe he just went to Mars or something.... Did I answer most of the questions ok? (right now I'm biting my fingernails) The other ones will be answered next chapter. :)

Catgirl 16: Ohhh....(warm fuzzies) But, if Bruce has gone all around....then Selena won't know where to find him....hmmm....just going to have to make up a place for him to stay a while. :)

:) HAPPY FACES TO MY REVIEWERS :)

Ok, that's all my recent reviewers. I'm glad that you all like my story enough to review, and for those who don't, you know who you are. Sad face to those who don't review. :( See, you made me sad... Now doesn't that make you want to review?? No? Maybe I'll just sic Helena to give you one of her glares...but then, they do seem to not work, don't they? Oh, well.


	13. Busted! Part Two: Dinah

A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry this took so long. I'm in the middle of a huge family crisis, so this will be the last update for a while. Now, this part is taking place at the same time that chapter 11 did. We're in the clock tower, and Selena had left about twenty minutes ago.

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Chapter 12

Barbara was starting to worry. Dinah's curfew was eleven o'clock, and it was nearing midnight. Dinah hadn't called.

At exactly 12:10, Dinah finally stumbled in from the elevator. When she approached Barbara, she stopped. Barbara had murder in her eyes.

"Where HAVE you been?"

"I really don't want to talk about it." Dinah made an attempt to go to her room, but Barbara grabbed her elbow. She saw Dinah's eyes watering.

"Dinah, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Nothing is wrong. I'm fine, Barbara. I just had a really bad night, and I want to go to bed and sleep it off." Again, she tried to leave, but Barbara wouldn't let her.

"Sit down." Dinah glared at Barbara, but she did as she was told.

"Dinah, does this have anything to do with Selena coming back?" The look on Dinah's face answered her question.

"A little. I'mreallyhappy for Helena. I am! It's just..."

"It's not your mom." Barbara finished for her. Dinah burst into tears.

"It's just not fair! I mean, Helena got raised by her mother, and got to be with her for fourteen years! Then she was taken away, and now she's back!! I only got to be with my mom for six years before she gave me up. I only got to get to know her a week before she died! I didn't even get a chance to know her!" Dinah sobbed out. Barbara was at a loss for words. What do you say to that?

"Oh, Dinah. I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Selena had come back from embarrassing Helena to find Dinah in tears. She immediately went into mother mode and gave her a hug. At first, Dinah pushed away. After realizing that Selena wasn't going to let go, she relaxed and sobbed on her shoulder.

"Dinah, it's ok. She's always going to be with you." Selena just rocked her like she used to rock Helena when she was small. Barbara looked grateful. She really had no clue what to do.

After about five minutes, Dinah calmed down. Selena looked down at her.

"You ok, kiddo?" Dinah nodded and then realized that she had cried all over this woman that she had just met. She blushed.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed. It's ok to miss your mother, you know. I didn't meet your mother, but I'm sure that she was a wonderful woman." Dinah laughed a little.

"Actually, you did meet my mother. She used to be the Black Canary." Selena's eyes widened.

"You're......Black Canary??? Oh, boy..." Selena could barely get a word out.

"Yeah."

"Huh. Oh, the memories. So, I can say I knew your mother. Dinah, now that I know, I can see the resemblance. You look a lot like her, you know. Has anyone ever told you that?" Dinah shook her head.

"Oh, your mother despised me. Mostly because she never caught me. She was a great crime-fighter, Dinah. I'm sure you'll do her proud. Besides, my daughter is one of the good guys, so..." Selena laughed. Dinah smiled.

"Wow. It is so funny to see you in mother mode, Selena." Barbara said. Selena laughed.

"Yes. By the way, I had so much fun at the bar. Poor Helena. She should have known better than to hide secrets from me." Dinah looked at Selena, and felt pity for Helena.

"What did you do?" Barbara couldn't wait to hear this.

"Well, I called her my little ray of sunshine, told her boyfriend about her pep squad days, you know, the works." Selena smiled evilly. It was uncanny how much Helena had inherited that trait.

"Oh, boy. Helena will have my head." Barbara wheeled over to her desk. Selena walked over there as well, while Dinah headed up to her room smiling. The thought of Helena having a humiliating night just made her day.

"Have you found him yet?" Selena asked. Barbara shook her head.

"Found who, Miss Selena?" Alfred came up like he always does.

"Alfred! Why didn't I think of that?" Barbara waved Alfred over to her desk.

"What can I do, Miss Barbara?"

"Alfred, do you know where Bruce is?"

"Well, Master Bruce moves around a lot, but last I checked, he was working over in Atlanta, Georgia." (A/N: Well, I got to choose, so he's where I am! He's sunburned but that's where he is!)

"Wonderful. Alfred, you rule." Barbara went back to the Delphi computer and got reservations and such for Selena.

"Well, if Miss Selena is going down to Georgia, might I suggest some sunscreen?"

-------------

A/N: Well, that's all for now. I'd like to thank Catgirl16 for her advice on using Alfred to find Bruce. Thanks!!

Like it? Hate it? Suggestions? Let me know. Review! You know you want to.


	14. Going to see Bruce

A/N: Well, my family is back to normal....for now. Keep fingers crossed! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! Guess what?! I start school in two weeks. Summer goes by so fast....

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Chapter 13

Selena's flight was delayed. Again. She could not believe this. First, her flight was delayed taking off, then there was turbulence the entire flight. Now, they were on the ground and just waiting to actually reach the gate. She was starting to think that this entire trip was cursed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. Just letting you know that our gate is ready. I would like to be the first to welcome you to Atlanta, Georgia. It is now 12:15 and a nice 93 degrees." Selena snorted at the patience comment.

When walking out of the plane, the heat and humidity of Atlanta engulfed her. (A/N: If you have ever taken a plane to the south, you know what I mean. You can barely breathe.)

"How the hell can it be this hot?" She asked no one.

"Honey, this is Atlanta, Georgia. It's always this hot." A young woman said as she passed by. (A/N: And there is my cameo into my story. WOO-HOO!!)

Selena left the airport and called a taxi to get to a hotel. When she got there, she was almost ill. The taxi driver drove like a maniac. Once in her room, she called Barbara.

"Hey there! How was the flight?"

"Oh, my God. I think that this plan is cursed. I almost got killed just from the taxi drive. I really don't think I can do this, Barbara."

"Yes, you can. You have to do this, Selena. Besides, if you don't do this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"How about I don't regret this and I just come back?"

"NO! You're going to do this and that's final!"

"Ok. Run through the plan with me. I need to hear it again."

"Again? I've gone through it a million times. But ok. You're now in Atlanta. Bruce is at the Wayne building in downtown Atlanta, roughly 5 miles away. Tomorrow, you have an appointment to meet with him. You're name is Mrs. Wilder and you are there to talk to Mr. Wayne about a charity involving disabled children in Chile. Once you go through his office door, the plan is complete. You'll be on your own." Living up to the Oracle name, Barbara had done her homework. With Alfred's help, she was able to locate the Wayne buildings in Atlanta, and got the phone number. She made the appointment herself. Once the appointment was set, she did a search for hotels in Atlanta. She found one, and made a reservation. Then she used Map Quest on Yahoo to get directions. (A/N: Hey! Even Oracle needs a little help from the Internet! She's never been to GA! Oh, and Yahoo didn't give me permission to put them in the story, but I am above the law!!! Besides, I hope they wouldn't be angry that I'm good-mouthing them....)

"Ok....I just hope this goes well." Barbara could detect the panic in Selena's voice.

"Selena, calm down. It's going to be ok."

"I know. I need some rest. I've had a looooooong day." They hung up. Selena laid down on her bed.

"How am I going to do this?" Was the last thing she said before she fell asleep.

---

The next day....

---

Ok. If Selena was panicked yesterday, it was nothing to what she was feeling now. She was sitting in a taxi, on her way to the Wayne building. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Even the taxi driver, who was a better driver then the other one was, noticed.

"Ma'am, are you ok? You look ill."

"Yes, I'm just a little nervous. I have an appointment with Bruce Wayne." The driver nodded, as if he understood. He looked as if he was about to ask her something, but then decided against it and concentrated on the road.

Selena looked out the window. She could see the Wayne building now. She felt butterflies in her stomach and a lump in her throat. She tried to calm down, but it was a futile attempt. She was scared to death of what could happen.

After about five minutes of staring at the building, she realized that the car had stopped at the entrance and the driver was staring at her. She shook her head, apologized, paid the driver, and stepped out of the car.

It took her a minute to remember to breathe and to walk, but she made it inside. She went over to the front desk, where a secretary was typing.

"May I help you, miss?"

"Uh, yes. Um...I have an appointment with Br-Bruce Wayne." She smacked herself mentally for stuttering.

"Ok. His office is on the sixth floor."

"Thank you." Selena turned to the elevator when the secretary grabbed her arm.

"Miss? Relax. He's only human." She smiled and continued to the elevator.

She pressed the button for the sixth floor. The elevator moved way too fast for her because in an instant, she was there. Stupid technology, she thought to herself.

The doors opened to a beautiful entryway. There was a door to Bruce's office, and a secretary that looked up when she came in. Selena had a huge mental battle whether or not to bolt right now. Helena's face came into mind, and that gave her courage. (A/N: Ahh...warm fuzzies. You know, I'm getting nervous for her. Aren't you?) She walked up to the secretary.

"Hello. My name is Mrs. Wilder. I have an appointment." The secretary just gave her a look, and checked out Bruce's schedule.

"Ok. You're appointment is not for another twenty minutes. Have a seat. When Mr. Wayne is ready to see you, I'll let you know." That being said, she abruptly turned away to work on more important things. (A/N: I had to make him have a really horrible, snotty secretary. It's punishment. It makes him miss Alfred.)

Selena sat down. This was going to be torture. She hated that secretary. She knew that that secretary just wanted to make her more nervous by the second. After about five minutes, she couldn't take it anymore and stood up. The secretary eyed her warily.

"Excuse me, but is there a way that I can move my appointment up a little since I'm already here?" She tried to remain polite and suppress an urge to hit the secretary when she glared at her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Mr. Wayne is a very busy man. You will have to wait your turn. That is why you are supposed to make appointments." The secretary turned back to what she was doing.

"Fine. I will be in the restroom." Selena walked over to the ladies' room and walked in. She was happy to find that it was a one-toilet restroom. She locked the door, pulled out a cell phone, and called Barbara.

"Barbara, I can't do it. I'm sitting here, waiting, and all I can think of is bolting. Maybe this is a sign that I'm not supposed to do this."

"Selena. Breathe. It's ok. Look, there are some things I want you to remember. Bruce loves you. He'll be nothing but ecstatic that you're alive. He will be upset that he didn't see Helena grow up, but he'll understand. Now, stop being a wimp and go!" Barbara hung up the phone.

After hearing what Barbara had to say, Selena really did think. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands were shaking and she was pale. She started to calm down and washed her hands to try and get them to stop shaking. After a minute or two, she came out to face the music.

The secretary looked at Selena with disdain as she came back. She made a show of pushing the button on her intercom.

"Mr. Wayne, Mrs. Wilder from the D.C.O.C.C. is here to see you."

"Show her in." Hearing his voice made Selena's stomach flip-flop. She hadn't heard that voice in 24 years, but it still warmed her heart and gave her the courage to open the door to his office.

Bruce's office was like she remembered the one in Old Gotham. It was impersonal; strictly business. There were no pictures, knick-knacks, or anything that showed the real him anywhere. The only two things in his office were a desk that had a computer and writing utensils on it, and a bookshelf. Bruce was sitting at the desk, head down as he was reading some paperwork. He didn't look up as he waved her in. She was shocked by his appearance.

To most people, Bruce looked about twenty years older than he was. To Selena and anyone else who knew the real him, he looked to be a hundred. He had a ton of gray hairs on his head, and his shoulders were slumped as if defeated. He was obviously no longer the proud, legendary Batman. She didn't have to see his eyes to know they would have a deadened look to them. Pain, guilt, and regret were etched on each feature of his face.

"So, Mrs. Wilder, you represent the Disabled Children of Chile Charity?" He still hadn't looked up. (A/N: I know....it's a very stupid charity. I just made it up. Besides, it could be a real charity...)

"Yes. That's correct." Selena made a mental note to kill Barbara later for the charity name.

Upon hearing her voice, Bruce's head snapped up, and for the first time in 24 years, Selena Kyle and Bruce Wayne looked each other in the face.

---

A/N: Well, that's chapter 13! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Big thanks to my sister for FINALLY reading my story, and happy faces to all my reviewers. It is very late. Next chapter I promise I'll do individual responses. Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye!!!! :) :)


	15. The long anticipated talk

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I promise, no cliffhanger today! Will that make you happy?? By the way, this chapter is brought to you by the Disabled Children of Chile Charity!!! No, it's not real, but someday, IT WILL BE!!!! Well, here we go....

****

Chapter 14

Just so we remember...

__

"So, Mrs. Wilder, you represent the Disabled Children of Chile Charity?" He still hadn't looked up.

"Yes, that's correct." Upon hearing her voice, Bruce's head snapped up, and for the first time in twenty-four years, he looked at her face.

A split second after his head snapped up, Bruce looked back down at his paperwork. He tried to look nonchalant, but if you looked closely, you could see his paperwork was shaking slightly in his hands.

Selena sat down and looked at him, her thoughts going a mile a minute. She thought she had seen a look of recognition in his face, but did she mistake it?

"So, why don't you tell me about your charity?" Bruce said. He was still looking down. He couldn't look up, couldn't look at this woman's face. She looked so much like....no, he scolded himself. Thinking about her only brought him pain. This poor woman was talking about this charity, and all he could do was listen to the sound of her voice, which sounded so much like his Selena's. He had to start paying attention. It wasn't fair to....Mrs. Wilder.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Wilder, but let's get to the point of this interview. What would you do with the money if I gave it to your charity?"

Selena had to think fast. Damn Barbara Gordon! How would you help disabled children in Chile? Were there even any disabled children in Chile? Then, another thought popped in her head: why wasn't she telling him why she was really here? Then Bruce cleared his throat, breaking her conversation. She couldn't even remember what he asked her.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. What was the question?" She smiled at him and fidgeted a little in her seat.

She was nervous. Bruce could tell. In all his years as Batman, Bruce learned how to read people's emotions through their actions. She was fidgeting and looking out the window. But what he couldn't figure out was why she would be nervous. This was only an interview for a charity.

"Are you alright?" He looked her in the face. His heart fluttered when she smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just, well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not here to represent a charity."

"Oh, then why are you here?" Bruce's face remained blank as he leaned forward and opened a secret compartment in his desk that he made for this type of situation.

"Well, it's hard to explain."

"Why is that?" His hand grabbed an ecrimsa stick underneath his desk. His face still showed no emotion.

"I-what are you doing?" Bruce had gotten up and was moving over toward her. She could sense the danger and got up.

A split second later, he had the ecrimsa stick right up against her neck. (A/N: It's like Dinah did to Helena in the Gladiatrix episode)

"I don't know who you are, or who you work for," he calmly whispered in her ear, "but I will have no regrets holding this thing up to your neck until you pass out. I don't like having my emotions played with."

"Bruce, I-" she was cut off by him squeezing the stick closer. With that, her eyes changed and she grabbed the stick. In one fluid moment, she had him on the floor. (A/N: C'mon you know she wouldn't just let him do that! She would retaliate. And he wasn't expecting her to attack, so it was more surprise that got him on the ground) She straddled his chest and grabbed his arms to keep him from moving.

"Now, will you actually let me speak?"

"Why should I-" He saw her eyes and stopped talking.

"Look, I'll get off you if you promise not to attack me unless I provoke you."

".......ok."

She got off him and helped him up. She walked over to the chair, rubbing her throat, and sat down. He leaned on her desk on the opposite side, and watched her warily. After an awkward silence, he spoke.

"Why do you look like her?"

Selena got up and walked over to him. She held up her hands to show she had peaceful intentions. She stood next to him.

"It's not just looks Bruce." She lifted his chin to look straight into his eyes. Suddenly, he jumped back.

"You'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you?" She watched him go over to the bookshelf, most likely to get another weapon to choke her with. She walked over there, and grabbed his arm.

"I can prove it! If I'm not Selena Kyle, how come I know you used to be Batman?" Bruce snorted and rolled his eyes. He wrenched his arm away and walked back to his desk. She followed him.

"Not enough? Fine. How do I know that you have a birthmark behind your left knee? Or that you despise cauliflower? Oh, and you have a spot right behind your ear that makes you shiver when I do this." She closed the distance between them and kissed a spot behind his ear. Then she blew on it. It was very difficult to suppress a full body shiver, but he managed it. However, he couldn't stop a small tremble and his face to turn pink. Selena smiled.

Bruce looked like Helena had when she opened the door to her apartment and it was Selena. He was in shock.

"Wha-where-h-h-how...." Disbelief was still written all over his face.

"Believe me, Bruce. It really is me," she pleaded. After a minute of silence, he turned and looked at her.

"There's only one more test to prove who you are." That being said, he kissed her. (A/N: YAY!!!!)

Selena pulled back a little from shock, but immediately recovered and put her arms around his neck. After a minute, they parted.

"Do you believe me now?" Selena smiled and looked up at him. He looked back at her and genuinely smiled for the first time in years as he nodded. Seeing that smile made her want to do a happy dance.

"Yes, I believe you. How did this happen?"

"Well, its a very long story. We're going to have to backtrack a little, and you may want to sit down for this. There is another reason I came here." Bruce sat down in his chair.

"Ok. Shoot."

"Do you remember when I left town?" He nodded. "Well, there was a big reason why I left. Something had happened, and I didn't want you to know about it."

"What happened?" Selena dug in her purse and found a picture of her and Helena when she was born. She handed it to Bruce.

"I was pregnant."

---

A/N: All done!! ....what? Oh, sorry I forgot. No cliffhanger. Never mind then. Keep reading. Disregard this message.

---

Bruce's eyes bugged out. He looked from Selena to the picture. In it, a very tired but smiling Selena was holding a baby with dark hair, wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Her name is Helena."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought that would be obvious, Bruce." He looked at her, confused. "You were Batman! One of your enemies would have found out if you knew! Then they would have used her against you and hurt her. I didn't want that to happen until she knew how to take care of herself or if you retired."

"I don't believe this." Bruce got up and started pacing his office.

"Bruce, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! I just found out not ten minutes ago that the love of my life is alive after twenty years and that I have a daughter! A daughter who I, while unintentionally, abandoned after you were stabbed!"

"Ok, first of all, I wasn't stabbed. Do you remember when I told you I had a twin sister, Sarah?" He nodded. "Well, she was also a meta whose powers went out of control. They changed her mood all the time."

"Wait, I thought you said she was bipolar."

"Well, that was what we told people. We couldn't tell them that she was a meta. They might not have treated her. Anyway, Joker found out about a hit on me, and switched us out. He hit me with a dart and hid me away." Bruce's jaw clenched at Joker's name.

"Then he was put back in prison. He couldn't tell anyone where I was. I was there for about seven years. Now, with some help from Helena, Barbara Gordon, and their friend Dinah Lance, here I am!"

"Wow. So, tell me, what is Helena like?"

"Oh, Bruce, she looks so much like you. She has your stubbornness, my temper, your sense of justice, and my powers."

"Oh, I'd hate to be on her bad side." Bruce shook his head and thought about his daughter. His daughter. He liked the sound of that. Selena took another picture out of her purse and handed it to him. It was of her and Helena.

"Here. This was taken last week. She's 23 now."

"Twenty THREE?! Wow, I've missed everything." Bruce looked at the picture. Selena was right. She did look a lot like him.

"What happened to her after....that day?"

"Well, my will said that if anything happened to me, that Barbara was to take her in. And she did."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Barbara knew?!"

"Yes. I asked her not to tell you. Besides, she did something else for her. She trained Helena, and now she's taken your place."

"Say that again."

"Helena Kyle, daughter of Batman and Catwoman, goes by Huntress, and is the new protector of New Gotham. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Bruce's heart swelled with pride. His brain hurt with all this information to process, but he didn't care as he looked at the picture of his daughter. Barbara had trained his daughter the way he had trained her.

Selena dragged her chair over to sit next to him. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" He nodded and looked at her.

"She has your smile," he said before he kissed her.

Their embrace was becoming pretty passionate (and not so PG rated) when they were interrupted. (A/N: Three guesses who!!!! heehee)

"Mr. Wayne, your two o'clock appointment has......oh!" It was none other than the snotty secretary!!! Her face turned red as Bruce and Selena immediately sprang apart. The secretary smiled politely and immediately left. Selena started laughing.

"So that's how you get her to smile!"

---

A/N: Now, that really is it for now! I mean it! So, I've hit a spot. I don't really know where to go from here. Should I stay with them or go back to Gotham for a chapter or two? Let me know what you think. I mean, this story's for you guys, right? You're entitled to an opinion! Just put it in a review. Even if you think this story stinks and you want to point out what I did wrong.....that'll be ok. Alright, now it's time to do review responses. And double smiles for my loyal reviewers.

BOP fan: I'm glad you're hooked.....it's all going according to plan....I really don't know if I'm foreshadowing or not....haven't written that far yet. Oh, and to answer your question, I do it so the readers who don't review will, but I profusely apologize. (I'm on my knees, I swear!) But, are you happy? No cliffhanger this time. I'm making up for it. :) :)

Huntress06: Did you get your popcorn? I hope you did. I'd offer you some since I work at a movie theater, but alas, you can't deliver through a computer screen. I'm glad that you liked Helena's embarrassing scene. I tried to come up with a rhyme for her name, you know like if your name was Kelly it'd be Kelly Belly or Hannah Banana, but nothing rhymes.... :) :)

latoria: Glad you like it. I know part two isn't near as good, but I hope you like this chapter. :)

redladyreba: I'm glad you liked it. Did you really feel sorry for Helena? I feel like Dinah...it made my day! Bruce I'm giving him some easy time (if you take out the being beaten by a girl thing out.) until he meets Helena. :)

VietAngel: I'm glad you finally reviewed! Yay! Thank you for the compliment. I figured that they would get right back to where they were since Helena would realize that it wasn't her fault that she wasn't there. :)

tina: I'm workin' on it!! :)

Catgirl16: Well, I know his reaction isn't exactly hilarious, but I figured, him being a businessman, he would act like it was just a coincidence. I almost had him think that she was a figment of his imagination, but it just didn't work out. :) :)

my sister: FINALLY!!! That's all I can say. I've been nagging you for almost a year now and you read it now. THANK YOU! ....and I love you too! :)

KelleyGaither2342: Ahhh......warm fuzzies. But that's only platonic.....don't come within 100 feet!! I mean it!!! j/k Ok, I wrote more, and as I said to Huntress06, WHERE'S MY SUGAR AND CHERRY?! It's just mean if you promise and don't deliver!!! :)

Thanks guys for the reviews! Group hug!! (I'm hugging the computer....really I am....) Wanna get a personal message from me?? Review and ye shall receive!!! Ok, I'm out of here. I've been staring at this screen all day, I'm starting to see dots. Bye!!!


	16. No name for this titletoo lazy to think

A/N: Hey everyone!! Yes, I have finally updated! Go me!!! J I just want to let you know something before I start the chapter up. This chapter takes place at the same time that chapter 15 does, so enjoy!!

**Chapter 16**

"Barbara, you are so dead!" Helena came storming into the clock tower. Barbara inwardly cringed. She knew this was coming when she had seen the look on Selena's face when she found out her daughter had a boyfriend. She knew that Helena was going to be angry about the way her mother had embarrassed her. As suspected, she was. So, Helena did what she normally did: she took it out on someone she blamed for the problem or the next person she saw. Enter Barbara.

Barbara started to look around for an exit. Damn it, she thought, why the hell did I have to make this thing a fortress? Without an escape route, she tried another tactic.

"Hello Helena. How was your day?" Barbara was trying to delay the inevitable, but it was unsuccessful. She realized this as Helena walked over to her, cornering her prey. Dinah silently watched from the second floor.

"Do you know what she did, Barbara? DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID??!! She came in, called me her little ray of sunshine, and talked about my high school days! He now knows that I used to be the pep squad captain, and she almost told him about Jack Barret. I have never been as humiliated as I was that night." Dinah made the mistake of letting a small snort out. She immediately regretted it. Helena turned around like lightning.

"You got something to say, kid?" The glare and tone of voice Helena used could cut through concrete. Dinah unconsciously took a step back as she shook her head. Now she knew how criminals felt. Dinah felt pity for the fools that broke the law and had to face her. (A/N: Yay! Helena found someone that she can intimidate with her glare!!!)

"Nope, I have nothing to say at all." She ran to her room. Helena turned her attention back to Barbara. She glared at Barbara, who was undeterred. She had gotten that look too many times to feel intimidated. (A/N: And again, it doesn't work. Well, she still has Dinah and the criminals…)

"Helena, why didn't you tell your mother that you were dating Reese? Then this wouldn't have happened." (A/N: We all know why she didn't tell her mom! The author wouldn't have had as much fun for me!!! J ) Helena's anger seemed to lessen as she answered.

"Because she would have wanted to meet him, and then she would have become all motherly and embarrassed me. I wanted to tell him that she was alive first. Then I would have told her." Barbara looked at her.

"Ok, I might have not told her right away. I would have eventually. Really, I would have. I just wanted to do it on my own terms." Helena looked back at Barbara.

"Helena-"

"But, No….we had to do it your way. Your way that totally embarrassed me. It was worse than I thought it would have been. I hope you're happy." Helena made a move to leave, but Barbara stopped her.

"Helena, she asked me why you were going so early. I just said that you wanted to see Reese. I figured that you had told her. You had told her everything else. I didn't even think. I'm sorry. But that does not excuse your actions. You should have told her about your relationship." Helena looked sheepish.

"I know. So, where is she? I need to kill her for embarrassing me. She knew what she was doing, and she's going to pay for it." She smiled. All of a sudden, Barbara looked very uncomfortable. She knew that Helena was going to get upset the moment she found out where her mother was. The smile left Helena's face. When Barbara looked uncomfortable, that meant that she had to tell someone that was either going to make them very sad, or very angry.

"Well, she left for Atlanta about 2 hours ago."

"Why would she go to Atlan-whoa whoa whoa….back up a sec. _He_'s there isn't he?" Helena glared at Barbara who was watching her computer screen like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"……maybe..."

"Barbara, how could you do this to me? I mean, what makes you think she's ready for this? She hasn't seen _him_ in twenty five years." Helena said the word "him" with absolute disgust.

"Helena, you're 23 now. You're not a child. Could you call him something other than him please? You could call him Bruce, your father, or Dad if you want." Uh-oh. Now Barbara had done it. She cringed. She had suggested that Helena call Bruce Dad. That was taboo in the world of the Birds. No one ever mentioned the word "Dad." Just mentioning the name in Helena's presence would get her started.

"Why the hell would I call him Dad?! The name Dad implies someone who takes care of you. That bastard doesn't even know I exist. Had he even cared anything about my mother, he would have searched for her and figured out what happened."

"Helena, he was respecting her priv-"

"Don't you dare defend that asshole to me. He is fully capable of defending himself, if he cared enough to be here." Helena passed by Barbara, toward the window. She slammed the window before leaping off the balcony.

"Wow. I think you hit a nerve, Barbara. Now I know why nobody ever said the word 'Dad.' It all makes sense. I am glad that you said it and not me." Dinah came downstairs.

"I know. This is worrying me. I thought Helena would be able to handle him coming into her life if it made her mother happy. I was hoping that she would be able to put the past behind her. I guess not. Well, if he takes this the way I hope he does, he'll have another battle to handle. A pissed off daughter."

"How do you hope he takes it?"

"Well, I'm hoping that he'll come back to New Gotham with Selena."

"Oh. Hey Barbara?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that this is a stupid question, but humor me. After meeting Helena, do you think he would rather fight the Joker again, or handle the problem with her?" Dinah's tone was completely serious, which made the question all the more hilarious.

Barbara started laughing.

"I don't know. I've been on the side of this anger before. She's totally unpredictable. Joker, for the most part, was predictable. Plus he's old, while Helena is very young. Me, I would go for the Joker."

A/N: Ok, well, that's it for now. I really tried to make this a serious chapter, but the situation was just too much fun to not write it funny.

Ok here are the reviewee thing-a-ma-jigs

VietAngel: Yes, this chapter was a little hard to think up, but thanks for your advice. I'm not sure how much further this story will go, but I do know that I'm gonna have Helena meet Bruce first. It would just be mean not to do that!!! :)

BOP fan: Well, I can't sic Helena and Dinah on them. Helena's been off ever since her mother went to see _him_….lol. Plus, Dinah's too involved in playing the little sister to do anything for me….oh the woes of being a writer…sob but I hope you enjoy this chapter!!! :)

Well, that's all from me. So review, damnit!! I need someone to write to….please??? If you leave an email address, I'll send you a sundae…


	17. Going back to New Gotham

A/N: Hey everyone! School has made me motivated. I have about 15 minutes between class, and I choose to do this. :) Oh, this chapter is back in Atlanta.

**Chapter 17**

"C'mon, Bruce. I'm going back to New Gotham. You can come with me. Come home and meet your daughter." Selena was packing her things to go home. Bruce was still a little iffy about going back to New Gotham. He was nervous about meeting Helena. Selena had told him all about her, and he figured that she might be a little upset with him. (A/N: What an understatement!) He was nervous about seeing Barbara again. What if she saw him as a failure because he failed to protect her from the Joker?

"Stop it. You are not responsible for things that you could not control. You're not a failure." Selena's voice snapped him back to reality.

"What?" Bruce looked at her, confused.

"What?" She looked back at him.

"How did you…."

"Oh, please. I know you too well, Bruce. I know what you were thinking." She smiled at him. He smiled back at her without even thinking about it. She kissed his cheek.

"Now, you know that you want to come back to New Gotham with me, you want to become Helena's father, and that's final." Selena looked at him with a stern expression. She only held it for a minute before bursting out with laughter.

"But what if she doesn't want me to be her father? I mean, we don't even know each other!"

"Well, I know you both, and I believe that she will adore you!" She said. It was not lying. She was just helpfully exaggerating. Helena would adore him….eventually.

"Really?" Bruce looked at her skeptically. He knew when she was lying.

"Of course. Ok, at first she'll be angry. Then….she'll still be angry. After that, you guys can get to know each other. You two are so much alike. I love you both and I want you to love each other. It's just going to take some work." She started giving him the puppy eyes.

"Please?"

"Ok, but how are we going to go about this?" Of course, Selena mused, he goes into Batman mode. He was always this way when he was stressed. Lucky for her, she had already come up with a plan.

"Look, I know that you will want to see Barbara and I want to talk to Helena before you guys talk. So, you and Barbara can go out and talk when we get in. I will go out with Helena. I'll take the initial blow. If I return alive, we will all meet in the clock tower. You should be thanking me." Selena said.

"Should I? Maybe this isn't such a good idea." Bruce started an examination of the floor.

"Bruce, look at me." She grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her.

"What?"

"Think about it. She's half me and half you. Of course she's not going to adapt well to this at first. She is going to be angry, yes, but she will get over it. Just be the man that I fell in love with, and she will adore you." Bruce looked at her for a moment, and then smiled.

"Alright, alright. I will come back to New Gotham. You win." He made a face of mock surrender.

"Don't I always?" She smirked at him before turning around and started packing again. She finished within five minutes. When she was done, she turned to Bruce.

"Hey, when will the plane be ready?"

"Should be another," he checked his watch, "fifteen minutes."

"Hmm, what should we do? We have fifteen minutes." She looked at him with a smirk on her face.

"Well, you can tell me some more about Helena." Bruce looked at her.

"Hmm, Helena is boring. We could talk about me. Did you know that I can still fit into my Catwoman costume?" She smiled and looked at him. His mouth went dry.

"Are-are you serious?" He had to clear his throat.

"Uh-huh."

"You."

"Me."

"Can fit into your suit?"

"Yup, unlike you."

"Well, I really don't want to wear the Catwoman suit, so I'm glad." He pulled a face. She started laughing.

"You know what I meant!" she play-punched him on the arm. He rubbed it.

"Is that a challenge?" He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Why, Bruce, I would never challenge the mighty Batman. I mean, it's totally obvious that you wouldn't be able to fit into your suit."

"Oh, so it is a challenge." He grabbed some keys and grabbed her arm.

"Where are we going?" She looked at him in alarm.

"My dear, you should know by now that Batman rises to all challenges. My suit is in a secretive place downstairs."

"Oh." He led her downstairs, where one of his Batman suits was incased. (A/N: Don't flame me for that! I know that his suit would be in New Gotham, but I just changed it. Besides, how do you know that he didn't take it with him? He could've!!!) For a minute, he just stood there, staring at it. Selena started tapping her foot.

"Well?"

Bruce looked back at her.

"I…haven't even looked at this suit…since…you know."

"Oh." She walked over to him.

"You know, you don't have to do this. I was just playing with you. Well, except for the part of me fitting into my costume." She put her arm around his waist, and he put his arm around her shoulders in response.

"I know."

"C'mon, let's go back home." She nudged him, and started walking back upstairs.

"I'll just be a sec." Bruce waited until she went upstairs before looking at the suit again.

"Well, I guess this is it. You failed your protogee, the love of your life, and your daughter. I just hope that we can fix this." He walked over to the light switch, looked back at the suit, and then turned off the light. With a sigh, Bruce Wayne walked back upstairs where Selena was waiting.

A/N: Well, that's it in Atlanta! Hurricane Ivan is in Ga, and it is STORMING something fierce! Well, let me know what you think!!! Those who got sundaes, I hope you enjoyed it! :) Those who didn't, review with an email, and you will get one!!!! Oh, and let me know which conversation you want first, Bruce and Barbara, or Selena and Helena. BOP fan, I just might be using your idea!! :) Well, BYE!!!!


	18. The talk: Barbara and Bruce

A/N: Hey there! Yes, I am alive and well. I've turned in all my papers…yay. They were sucking all my creativity out of me. And I'm not bitter about it….no not at all. But, on to the next chapter. Ok, this chapter and the next one will be taking place at the same time. This chapter is Barbara and Bruce. Next will be Helena and Selena.

Chapter 18

It was official. Barbara had nothing to wear. She had decided on a black pair of pants, which made it easier to change and re-change. Hurricane Helena had nothing on Barbara today. She couldn't find a shirt that didn't accent the fact that she was in a wheelchair. There wasn't a way to hide it, but she didn't want to wear a shirt that said, "HI I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR!!!! NOTICE ME!!!!"

No shirt she tried on worked. White, red, purple, black, blue, green….it was a hopeless case. Barbara sighed.

"Look, there is no way to hide it. Besides, Bruce already knows that I was paralyzed by that bullet," she said to herself.

"But," said that horrible voice in her head, "he doesn't know that you are still paralyzed." (A/N: Just so you know, this entire conversation takes place in her head.)

"Of course he knows that. That doesn't even make sense."

"You do realize that if you show up in that wheelchair, he'll think that you're weak. Your wheelchair lets other people believe that you can't hold your own. Who's going to stop Bruce from thinking the same?" That horrible little voice, that was starting to sound like Harley, continued.

"Oh, than what am I going to do? Crawl there? Yes, that will make me look strong and independent. It's decided anyway. I just have to find the right shirt." Barbara wheeled over to her closet.

"But, Barbara, you can walk. You're just afraid of using the means." That stupid little voice stopped her.

"I'm not afraid. I just don't want my condition to get worse." Barbara mentioned.

"Barbara, think about it. He hasn't seen you in over twenty years. Can you imagine the look on his face if you walk up to him? He will never think that you are weak. Plus, if you go with your wheelchair, that's all he's going to think about. He'll think of you as an invalid." That little voice, although stupid, started to make sense to Barbara. If there was one thing she hated, it was people treating her as if she couldn't do anything. She started to think about it, and then shook her head.

"No, I can't do that. Using the transponder hurts like hell and can make me worse. I am not desperate. I'm not going to use it." With that decided, Barbara went back to deciding on a shirt. She had decided on a shirt when that voice used its trump card.

"You know, Batgirl wouldn't have been afraid."

Star…..star…..star

Bruce was waiting in agony for Barbara to show up. He was getting more nervous by the second. He hadn't seen Barbara since she had been in the hospital. The look on her face when the doctor told her that she would never walk again was burned into Bruce's memory.

Flashback……

Bruce was in the waiting room. He _hated_ waiting rooms. It had been two days since Selena had been killed and since the Joker had shot Barbara. Bruce was still in shock. The doctor was talking to Barbara's father about her condition. By the look on Commissioner Gordon's face, it wasn't good. He walked over to Bruce with tears in his eyes.

"The doctor said she'll never walk again." His voice was breaking. Bruce felt as heartbroken as the Commissioner looked. Batgirl was gone forever. Barbara was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life because of him.

"Let's go. She's going to want us to be there for her when she gets the news." Together, they walked over to Barbara's room where she was supposed to be sleeping. When they walked in, Barbara was sitting up and looking out the window. She turned when they came in. There were tears in her eyes.

"Where's the doctor?"

"He's on his way, sweetie." Barbara's father said.

"I can't move my legs. I've tried. I can't even _feel_ them anymore. What's going on?" She looked desperate for someone to tell her that it was an effect of the medicine.

"I know hun." Thankfully, the doctor came in before Barbara could ask how he knew.

"Good morning. I have your x-rays, Ms. Gordon."

"….What's going on?"

"Well, the bullet has shattered part of your spinal cord." The doctor looked apologetic as he told her. Barbara looked defeated before asking a question she already knew the answer to.

"What does that mean?"

"You're paralyzed from the waist down, Ms. Gordon. You won't be able to walk again."

The shock, pain, and sorrow that crossed Barbara's face as she processed this information was heartbreaking. Bruce had to leave the room a minute later. He didn't look back.

End Flashback……

Every person that went by looked like Barbara to Bruce. After about five minutes, a redhead caught his eye….but she was walking, so it couldn't be Barbara. When the woman came closer, Bruce could have sworn that this was Barbara's twin. The woman saw him, smiled, and walked up to him.

"Hey stranger." She smiled at the shocked face of one Bruce Wayne.

"Barbara? Wha-? When? H-how?" He was so shocked that he couldn't even string a sentence together.

"You-you're walking."

"Yes I am. Well, not permanently. It's a transponder attached to my spine. What do you think?" She turned around and showed him her back. Bruce was in awe.

"Wow, Barbara. I always knew that you were brilliant," Barbara blushed at this, "but I had no idea that you- wow. That is amazing!"

"Thanks." The two started walking up to the clock tower. After a couple of minutes, Bruce broke the silence.

"You look good, Barbara."

"Thanks. But I would look better than the last time you saw me. I was in the hospital then. I've had seven years to get over that incident and to develop this." She smiled.

"I've also had time to become a teacher and to train Helena." She looked up at Bruce to see his reaction.

As expected, his face showed no difference to the untrained eye. To those who knew to look at his eyes, they showed a spark of interest at the mention of his daughter.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How is she?" His voice was matter-of-fact, but Barbara knew he really wanted to know.

"Oh, she's just like you and Selena, Bruce. She's a great fighter and has taken over your post rather well. She could give you a run for your money."

"Selena told me that Helena has inherited her powers."

"That's true."

"Wow, I would love to see her in action."

"You should. She's incredible."

All of a sudden, Barbara stopped and cringed, holding her back. Bruce stopped and looked at her.

"Are you ok, Barbara?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The battery is starting to wear down. I'll be okay. We're almost to the clock tower, and my wheelchair is in there." She smiled, but Bruce could tell that she was in incredible pain.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay, Barbara?"

"I'm _fine_," she gritted out. Inside her head, she was trying to figure out why her transponder was going out so early. This was the only way she could ignore the growing pain in her back.

"Great, now you've ruined it." That stupid little voice was back.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, your transponder is giving out. Some great genius _you_ are. You do know that you won't make it to the clock tower, right? You'll look _real_ strong when you're crawling back."

"Shut up. I'll make it."

"No, you won't. You're lucky you made it this far. You forgot to charge the batteries last night."

"Barbara?" Bruce's voice brought Barbara back from the argument inside her head.

"Yes?" She looked up.

"You're starting to worry me."

"I'm sorry. My batteries are dying, so I'm in just a little pain." She hissed in pain as she missed the sidewalk and went off the curb.

"Barbara, you shouldn't be walking. Sit down." Bruce's voice had that strict tone. She immediately sat down.

"Now, turn that thing off, and I'll carry you the rest of the way. Can't have my protégée crawling home." Bruce chuckled, and swept Barbara in his arms, against her protests.

"Bruce, I'm fine. I'm strong, I can handle it."

"Well, I can't. Damnit Barbara! If this thing causes you pain, why did you use it?" He looked her straight in the eye.

"I just didn't want you to think of me as an invalid." Barbara looked down at the ground.

"Barbara, look at me." Barbara looked at him as he started using his 'Batman voice.'

"I _never_ would think of you as an invalid. Incapable of walking, maybe, but you proved me wrong there. You are one of the strongest women I have ever met, so I know that you would never give up and let others take care of you." They walked into the clock tower, where Barbara's wheelchair was waiting.

After Barbara was settled, she led him up to the Headquarters. When they got in, Bruce whistled.

"Nice job, Babs."

"Well, thank you." They could hear someone hitting something upstairs in the gym. Bruce looked at Barbara.

"Well, that shouldn't be Helena. She's supposed to be out with Selena. So, by process of elimination, it must be Dinah." Bruce still looked puzzled.

"Oh, Selena didn't mention her? Well, she's Black Canary's daughter. She ran away from home, and found us."

"Really? I didn't know Carolyn had a daughter."

"Well, she did. Dinah's powers are amazing. She's a touch telepath and has telekinesis. Plus, she's Helena's partner, which even amazes me. I always thought of Helena as a loner, but she's taken the role of big sister pretty well."

"Wow. So, do I get to meet her?"

"Sure. DINAH!!!" Barbara shouted. After a couple seconds, the noise stopped. Dinah came out of the gym.

"Yeah?" She stopped when she saw two people in the clock tower.

"Come down here. I want to introduce someone to you." Dinah immediately came down the stairs.

"Dinah, this is Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, a.k.a. Helena's father."

"Bruce, this is Dinah Lance, a.k.a. Canary." They shook hands.

"Wow, Helena looks a lot like you." Dinah mentioned.

"Um, thanks. You have your mother's eyes."

"Um, thanks." They laughed.

"Oh, Barbara. Helena was here before. She told me to tell you something when you got back." Dinah looked a little reluctant to tell in front of Bruce.

"Oh, and what was that?" Barbara asked.

"Well, she told me to tell you that this would not work, and that she wasn't going to fall for it. Only she said it in a different way." Barbara laughed at this.

"I told you Bruce. She has your stubbornness." Everyone laughed.

"So, Dinah? You're Helena's partner, huh?" Bruce asked.

"Yup. Took a while for her to get used to me, but she now sees me as an equal, I think." Dinah smiled.

"Well, I have to go. I was just getting a couple minutes alone in the gym before leaving. I'm studying over at Gabby's. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Wayne." Dinah left for her room.

There was an uncomfortable silence after that. Bruce broke it after a minute. (A/N: huh, this seems to be a theme throughout this chapter….whoops!) He decided to let something off his chest.

"Barbara, I am so sorry." Barbara looked at him, confused.

"Sorry? For what?"

"About everything. For what happened to you. I failed you, as a mentor and a friend." Bruce sat down on the couch. Barbara followed and stopped right in front of him.

"Bruce, this wasn't your fault. It's the Joker's fault. If you could have done something to stop what happened, there is not a doubt in my mind that you would have done it."

"But, I should have seen it coming. I was so stupid to think that the police could handle it. I couldn't see past my job and how justice was served. Had I stopped and thought about it, I would have taken some preemptive measures incase he escaped."

"What measures could you have taken, Bruce? I mean, come on! What were you going to do? Lock me up in your house? Besides, we would have thought that he would go after you, not me."

"No, that's not true. The Joker always went after my loved ones because he knew that it was the only way to truly hurt me."

"But he didn't win, did he? I'm still alive, Selena's alive, and she even managed to hide Helena's parentage from him. You did everything that you could have done. You can't be around all the time. You're not perfect."

"…I know."

"Lighten up! You should be happy. The love of your life is back, and you're going to meet your daughter soon. Ok, so she's a little violent, but still!"

"I guess."

"And, after she stops being angry and violent, she'll adore you!"

"Why do you keep saying the word 'violent?'"

"To keep you on your guard."

"Well, thanks for your encouragement."

"You're welcome." Barbara barely managed to get that out before laughing.

After seeing Barbara laugh and being herself, Bruce felt most of his guilt over the past seven years go away. He felt better than he had in years.

A/N: WHEW!!! (the author is wiping sweat off her brow) That's the longest chapter yet! And it's not even a pivotal chapter! I hope you enjoyed! You should, because my inspiration for this chapter kept coming to me while I was at work. I work at a movie theater, so most of this chapter is written on extra movie ticket paper!! Just thought I'd let you all know that! Well, that's all for now. I'm not making any promises on the next chapter, but I will say that I'm going to make it faster than last time. Well, what are you waiting for??!! Review already!!


	19. The talk: Selina and Helena

A/N: Ok. Here's part two. Thanks for all your reviews! I can't believe that I've gotten almost 50!!! Plus, it just occurred to me that I was spelling Selina's name wrong!

Chapter 18 (or 19, however you wanna put it)

"Helena? HELENA??!!" Selina had been knocking; scratch that, pounding, on Helena's door for half an hour. She was starting to get frustrated.

As soon as Selina got back to New Gotham, she went looking for Helena. She wasn't at Reese's, the clock tower, or at No Man's Land (although she did have a verrrrry long and interesting conversation with Gibson). Selina then went to Dark Horse. Helena wasn't working, so there was only one other place Helena could be, her apartment. Sure enough, Helena's bike was in front of the bar. Selina started knocking, and that brings us to the present.

"Helena Kyle, if you do not open this door, I'm going to break it down!!"

"Excuse me?" Helena's boss (A/N: who's name I cannot remember for the LIFE of me!) came right up behind Selina.

"Who are you?" Selina, who was jetlagged and frustrated as hell, was able to say this only semi-threateningly. (A/n: We should give her a medal!!)

"I'm the owner of this bar. More importantly, who are you and why do you want to vandalize my property?"

"I'm Helena's mother, and I'm threatening to break the door down because I've been here for half an hour knocking, and she's been ignoring me."

"Did you consider the idea that she might not be here?"

"Yes, but then I saw her bike out front. Plus, about five minutes ago, she told me to piss off. She's here."

"Yes, and usually the phrase 'piss off' means to go away." Helena had finally opened the door. She opened the door so that her mother could go in. Selina smiled and walked inside. Helena slammed the door.

"Did you have a nice time in Atlanta?" Helena's voice was sugary sweet, but we all know better.

"Yes I did, actually." Helena snorted and stormed off to her bedroom. Selina followed her.

"Helena, we have to talk about this."

"Fine. Let's talk. What would you like to talk about? The way you _embarrassed_ me in front of my boyfriend??!! Oh no, that wouldn't be as interesting as when you _mysteriously_ vanished to see _him_." If this were a cartoon, steam would be coming out of Helena's ears.

"_Him_? He has a name, Helena."

"Well, I don't know _him_ well enough to give him a name."

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"Harsh? HARSH??!! No, I don't think I'm being harsh, mother. I've never met the man in my life. All I know is that he wasn't there for me or you when we needed him."

"How could he have been there for you if he didn't know about you, Helena?"

"Well, if he cared about you like you said he did, he could have figured it out."  
"You know what, Helena? I don't even know how to respond to that. I just want you to stop being mad at him. If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at me for not telling him!"

Helena sat down on her couch and crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm still not going to see him." After this, Selina looked at Helena for a minute before an idea struck her. She sat down next to Helena.

"Ok, how about we compromise?" Helena cocked her head.

"I'm listening."

"All I'm asking of you is to meet him and spend the day with us. After that, you can decide whether or not you want to have a relationship with him."

"No."

"Half a day?"

"No."

"2 hours?"

"No. 5 minutes."

"1 hour."

"10 minutes."

"30 minutes."

"15 minutes. Final offer."

"Deal."

"_Fine_. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

"Damn it Helena! Will you stop acting like a spoiled two-year-old who won't eat her vegetables?"

"No." Helena stuck out her tongue at her mother.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter….I know it wasn't wonderful, but the next chapter will be better. Again, inspiration hit me at work…I really don't get it…oh, well.

Smiley time!!! :)

This is a thanks to my reviewers…I know I haven't done it in a while, but I'm doing it now. If you want a personal message from me (and who wouldn't???), review and you will!!

KelleyGaither2342: aww….thanks….warm fuzzies!! I try! I can't wait for Helena to meet her dad too. I've been working on it. I haven't gotten to the Reese part yet, so he most likely won't be in the next chapter…got to have _something_ for later!! :)

BOP fan: I'm writing I'm writing!!!! Lol and yes, I do hate it when they come at the weirdest time. But this time I was prepared. I brought a memo book to work…luckily for me, the manager who cares wasn't there, so ha! :)

Lucy76: Hope I didn't disappoint you! There will be more on that in the next chapter. :)

MiniSparky: Thanks! Warm fuzzies…..It's been hard to think of what will happen…but I hope I don't disappoint… :)

THEHUNTRESS06: more warm fuzzies….thanks! I like it too!!! :)

Melphis: Thanks for your help. Hope you're enjoying the weather now! Lol :)

CuteLittleBritt: Of COURSE I'm going to continue! I don't want to leave anybody hanging (for too long anyway)! Besides, what else will I do instead of studying??! :)

VietAngel: Thank you. I'm looking forward to the next two or three chapters, too. :)

Dark Wolf Girl15: I like the new name! And thanks for enjoying my story!! :)

Gosh, so many compliments….warm fuzzy feelings….GROUP HUG!!! (The author is now hugging her laptop and getting strange looks from other students) Well, me hope you likey! Let me know if you liked it or if you didn't. Compliments and criticism are welcome!!!


	20. The Pivotal Moment

Chapter 20

Helena walked into the clock tower. She was still a little upset, but she had promised her mother fifteen minutes with the man. 15 minutes. When she got to the top floor, she heard muffled voices. Someone was arguing.

"What do you mean, I should have told you?" That was her mother. Helena went to the door and listened in. The answer from _him_ was too soft for her to hear.

"When? And how? No, don't give me that look! Do you know why I kept this a secret?"

"Why Selina?" _His_ voice was getting louder.

"I didn't want her to get hurt! I wanted to protect her!"

"From what? Me?!" Both voices were getting louder. Barbara, Dinah, and Alfred had now joined Helena at the door.

"From _WHAT?!_ Were you always this stupid, or is this a new development, Bruce? Do you want an example? I can give an example if you want!"

"Yes, Selina, I would appreciate an example. Just make sure you don't use any big words, you may confuse me!" Helena had just learned where she got her sarcasm!

"Barbara! The Joker learned your secret identity, thus finding out hers. Then he went after her. He knew how to hurt you, and he always seized **every** opportunity. I knew him, I knew how he worked. I didn't want my child to be his next victim!" By the tone of her voice, Selina was about to cry. Helena made a move to go in there and beat the crap out of the man making her mother cry, but Barbara and Dinah held her back.

"I know you did what you thought was right, Selina. I- I just wish I could have been there for her."

"I know." Their voices were calming down. It was now almost impossible to hear. Alfred went back to his work, and the Birds went to a separate room.

"See Helena? I _told _you that he would have wished to be there for you." Barbara smiled, but Helena did not return it.

"Well, wishing doesn't make everything all better. Miss America wishes for world peace, but does that make the criminals stop?"

Both Barbara and Dinah groaned. Obviously, Helena was mad and wanted to stay mad. Oh, well. Good luck Bruce!

Star Star Star

"Are you ready for this?"

"….I guess so."

"Ok. Just to warn you, she's still angry. You have 15 minutes with her at the least."

"What?"

"She promised me that she would spend 15 minutes with you. If you can convince her, she may stay."

Bruce looked at Selina like she was insane.

"I'll go get her….HELENA!!!" Selina went to the door and yelled.

Helena came through the door. Bruce felt his heart skip a beat. He had seen pictures, but he never thought his daughter was so…beautiful. She looked just like her mother, but she had his hair, eyes, and, evidently, his frown. Her eyes narrowed at him, and he realized that he was staring. Then he realized that he had no idea what he should say. Panicked, he looked at Selina, who smiled.

"Helena, this is Bruce Wayne, your father. Bruce, this is Helena Kyle, your daughter." They shook hands, Batman and Huntress. It was a historic passing of the torch that was ruined when Helena opened her mouth. (A/N: oh, c'mon! You knew this was going to happen!!)

"I hope you know that I'm only doing this for my mother. I have no interest in having a relationship with you. I'm not going to become the Wayne heiress."

"I did know that, but I wish you would let me get to know you before you blow me off completely." For once, Helena was at a loss for words. She was hoping to stun this man into silence, but he had a comeback that had stunned her. Her frown deepened.

"Fine, let's start the clock now, shall we?" She looked at her watch. Bruce stared at her. He knew she was angry, but now he understood. She was positively pissed at him. He was starting to see flashbacks of an angry Selina. That scared him. It was almost the same. He had no idea what to say to his daughter. His ignorance had really hurt her.

"Look- Helena…" He started to apologize. Helena cut him off.

"Save it." Her tone was like ice.

"No, I really think this needs to be said."

"Well, I don't want to hear it."

"Well then, what do you want me to say, Helena? What can I possibly do to make this easier on the two of us? I can't go back in time and change the past, and you don't want an apology, so what do you want from me?"

"Nothing! I don't want anything from you! Get that through your head!"

"Why are you so angry with me?" Oh, _wrong_ question, Bruce, said his head, the author, and most of the readers. (A/N: hehe Prepare yourself for an outburst, in three…2…1…) Helena stood up and Bruce saw her eyes change.

"Why?? WHY??!! I'll tell you why. Number 1: You obviously didn't care enough about Mom to find out why she disappeared. If you had, you would have been able to track her down, and you would have found out about me. Number 2: When we returned to New Gotham, you didn't try to see us. If you loved her, you would have come to see her. Number 3: When Mom died and Barbara was shot, you left like a coward. Both Barbara and I needed you and you left us. I understood that you didn't know, but I thought you would stay for Barbara. She needed you and you left like the spineless jellyfish you are. You let the Joker beat you, which disgusts me." That being said, she sat back down and glared at Bruce. After a second, her eyes changed back to normal. He was momentarily stunned. The only words that came to mind were, Wow…I didn't realize that she was going to do that. (A/N: But I know you all did! Hahaha…) Then, he started to speak his defense. He had no idea where these words came from.

"Helena, when your mother disappeared, I looked for her. I tried to track her down for six months. She knew me too well. She knew where I would look, and she sidestepped each and every source. I couldn't find anything. She covered her tracks like an expert." Selina smiled and blushed at this.

"When you came back, she contacted Barbara and left a message on her answering machine. I heard the message." Selina's head snapped up.

"You heard that?" Bruce nodded.

"She told Barbara that she was back in town and left a phone number. She didn't want to see me. She said, and I quote, 'Barbara, as soon as you get this message, erase it. I'm sure he knows that I'm back in town, and I don't want him to find me until he's ready. Don't let him know I contacted you!' After hearing that, I gave up my search for her. I figured that if she didn't want to see me, then I should stop looking. I only wanted her to be happy, so I backed off and gave her space."

"When your mom and Barbara were attacked, I had no idea what to do. It was a first for me. I was so afraid that Barbara would die, that I left. And you're right; I did leave like a coward. I was so scared that I would wake up in the morning and remember that the love my life was dead. I was afraid that I would see something that would remind me of Selina or Barbara. I didn't want to be Batman anymore. All my loved ones got hurt. I couldn't be Batman without Batgirl. I went to see Barbara in the hospital when the doctor told me that she would never walk again. The look on her face broke my already broken heart. I was afraid that Barbara would blame me like I blamed myself. I couldn't bear the thought that I had failed and my loved ones paid the price, so I left." Bruce had tears, actual _tears_, in his eyes. Helena had the strongest urge to comfort him, but she barely managed to suppress it.

"Helena, I know that I never had the chance to be a proper father figure for you while you were growing up. I know you're still angry with me, but can you give me a chance to get to know you better, and to be the kind of father you deserve?" Bruce held out his hand to her. Helena looked at his hand and thought long and hard before she came up with an answer for him.

"I need some more time." With that, she left the clock tower in the blink of an eye, to the amazement of her parents, Barbara, Alfred, and Dinah.

A/N: Well, just to clarify: Alfred, Barbara, and Dinah were _not_, I repeat NOT, eavesdropping!!! The girls picked up Alfred's habit of "merely overhearing," even if their noses were to the door!! Haha!! Anywho, thank you so much for your reviews. (Starting to tear up) I feel so loved…. (Sniff) I'm really going to miss calling Bruce _him_…that was fun….

By the Way, I would like to let BOPfan know that I am NOT, I repeat, NOT in a psycho ward!!! (The white men have not found me yet…BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!) :)

And, THEHUNTRESS06, if you have not already figured it out, you will love the next chapter….. :)

And a big thanks to KelleyGaither2000 for telling me that the name of Helena's boss is Leonard….I would have NEVER remembered that, and since my VCR was out of commission for a while, I couldn't check… :)

Well, I have to go now… Exams are upon me….icky….I hate exams. I have to REALLY study this time. I have to keep a 3.0 to keep HOPE scholarship (thank you

Zell Miller!), so it may be some time to get the next chapter up. I wanted to make sure that this chapter would get up first, so you should all be on your hands and knees thanking me! Just kidding! Ok, I need some sleep… Well, let me know if you liked it or think I shouldn't quit my day job!

THE WHITE MEN WILL NEVER FIND ME!!!!!!


	21. After the Pivotal moment

A/N…Um, hey everyone! Well, I want to profusely apologize for my absence…HEY! Stop rolling your eyes! I mean it! I've had a hard time with this chapter and I've been working and at school all the time. Yeah, I know….no excuses. Ok, ok….I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me? (puppy-dog face) Puh-leeessee?

(Clears throat) Ok, now that that's done, on with the story. I believe that Helena had just run away from the clock tower, right? (Checks story) Yup….

Chapter 21

Reese was sitting down and watching television when he heard knocking coming from his balcony. He was only a tad surprised. He knew that Helena would come over, but she never knocked. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Hoping that he was just paranoid, Reese opened the door. When he saw Helena, that hope was dashed.

She looked terrible. Evidently, it was pouring down rain outside because she was soaking wet. (A/N: I know his balcony is outside and therefore he would have figured it out without seeing her soaking wet…..I'm just going for the dramatic effect!) Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked a mix between miserable and pissed. It was obvious that she had been crying, and it was doubly obvious that she was trying to hide that fact. Of course, she was never very good at hiding the fact that she was upset.

Reese had no idea what to do. He had never seen her cry before. He had dealt with a pissed Helena before, hell, he would prefer to have a pissed Helena right now. That was what he was expecting. But a sad, vulnerable Helena? Reese did the first thing that came to mind. He went over and hugged her.

"Helena, what's wrong?" She instantly burst into tears. Reese awkwardly moved over to his couch and sat down with Helena in his lap. He started rubbing her back.

"Helena, calm down. I can't help you unless you can tell me what's wrong. C'mon now, deep breaths."

After about five minutes of this, Helena did calm down. She took a deep breath and looked at his (now) soaked shirt.

"Sorry about that." She pointed to his shirt. He laughed.

"Well, I knew I'd eventually be your shoulder to cry on…." Helena glared at him before kissing him.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Calming me down."

"Well, you're welcome." They kissed again.

After a minute, Reese broke away.

"Helena, what happened?" Helena took a deep breath before starting.

"I talked to Bruce Wayne today."

"I'm taking a shot in the dark here, but I'm assuming that it did not go well." Helena smiled and pushed him.

"You'd be correct." Reese nodded for her to go on.

"He asked me why I was angry with him." Reese cringed at that. Helena saw him and grinned.

"Yeah, practically everyone cringed when he said that." (A/N: Were you one of those people? ;) )

"So?"

"So what?"

"What did you say?"  
"I told him why I despised him."

"What did he say?" He felt Helena tense up a little.

"He had excuses for everything I had to say." Helena's face darkened a little.

"Like what?"

"He was 'respecting my mother's privacy.'" Helena even quoted with her hands. (A/N: Do you know what I mean? When people quote with their hands? I know there's probably a better way to say it, but oh well)

"Then what happened?"

"He held out his hand and asked me to give him a chance." Helena spat out the word "chance." (A/N: Ok, cookies to those of you who realized that Helena is getting angrier by the second……ok, hands up….notices that everyone's hand is up….am I that obvious? Ok, hang on….I need more cookies)

"What di-" Reese didn't get the chance to finish before Helena interrupted him.

"I mean, who the HELL does he think he is? He comes waltzing into my life after 23 years and expects a goddamn medal! What, did he think I would welcome him with open arms! Eugh, I just want to hit him. Oh, and Barbara! She had the nerve to be little Miss Optimistic! 'See, Helena, he really did want to be a part of your life.'" Helena started pacing the room.

"What di-" Reese was cut off yet again by Helena.

"I really don't give a DAMN what he wants. I gave him the time he deserved. That's it, I'm done with him." She stopped pacing and sat back down. Reese waited a minute before asking a question.

"Helena, who are you angry at?"

"What?" She thought it was obvious.

"Who are you angry at? I mean, I realize that you're upset, but who are you upset with and why?" Helena sat for a minute and then answered his question.

"I'm mad at Bruce Wayne for abandoning me."

"So, you're mad because he left town without realizing that he was abandoning you because he didn't even know you existed?"

"….."

"Think about it, Helena. When your mother told him about you, he came here."

"No, he came here because she was leaving and she asked him to come. There is a difference."

"Helena, if you ask me, I think you should be mad at your mother. She hid you from him."

"She did what she did to protect me."

"Well, then, why are you criticizing her decision?"

"What?"

"Well, you told me that you understand her decision. Now, you're upset because her plan worked!" Reese looked at Helena, gauging her reaction.

Helena was stunned.

Star Star Star

"That went well," Selina commented. She walked over to Bruce who was looking out the window Helena went out.

"Did it? I would say it went poorly."

"Actually, she behaved better than I expected. I thought she might attack you."

"Did you?" He turned around.

"Honestly? Yes. Don't worry. She'll be back. She needs a little time to stew about this. Once she cools down and starts thinking rationally, she'll be back."

"Where do you think she went?" Bruce asked. Barbara rolled in and answered his question.

"Well, when she's usually upset, she usually comes to me. Since I'm here, she's either at Gibson's or at Reese's."

"Gibson? Gibson Kafka? No. I refuse to go over there and talk to him again. I really don't know how Helena put up with him for so long." Selina said. Barbara nodded while grinning. (A/N: Did I spell his last name right?)

"Who are they?" Bruce asked.

"Well, Gibson is an old friend of Helena's from high school. Oh, he is so annoying. He's infatuated with her, and he's a Meta. He remembers everything." Selina said. Barbara laughed.

"Ok, and who is Reese?"

"Detective Jesse Reese. He's Helena's 'significant other.' He's a detective for NGPD." Barbara explained.

"So, she's dating a cop?" Selina and Barbara nodded.

"Does he know about her night work?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, he does. He actually met Huntress first. They became partners like you and my father, and then they started dating." Barbara said.

"What? Does she realize what kind of risks she's taking! Letting her guard down like that is a mistake! She's letting herself become vulnerable to her enemies. You should never mix hero work and personal life!" Bruce was in lecture mode. (A/N: Yes, he did just say that)

Selina stared at Bruce pointedly. It took him a minute to realize what he had just said.

"Selina, I didn't mean it like that…" She glared at him before leaving the room. Bruce threw up his hands and looked over at Barbara who was also glaring at him.

"What? I really didn't mean it like that."

"Really, because it sounded like you meant it to me." She said before also leaving the room.

"…women." Bruce muttered before leaving the clock tower after Selina.

Star Star Star

"So what if I choose to blame him for her plan working? I resent the fact that he made her feel like she had to hide me from him." Helena was still at Reese's and still in his lap.

"C'mon, Helena. That really isn't fair to him. Maybe you should give him a chance. If you're going to hate him, you might as well let him give you a reason."

"…You may be right, but the fact of the matter is, I don't need a father now. I've already grown up."

"Well, don't you want to make your mother happy? Or get to know the other half of your roots?"

"I guess so."

"Well, good. Besides, I want to meet him." Helena arched an eyebrow at this.

"You do?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you came from him. How bad can he be?" Helena smiled.

"I don't know whether to kiss you for being sweet, or hit you for insulting me."

"Do I get a vote?" Reese smirked.

"No." Helena said before kissing him.

It would have become another make out session had they not been interrupted by Barbara.

"Huntress!" Helena groaned. She was seriously considered buying a new pair of earrings.

"Yes?"

"Where are you?" Barbara's voice was sugary sweet. Helena started racking her brain to remember what she forgot. In fact, she had no idea what time it was.

"Um, I'm at Reese's. Why?"

"Well, you were supposed to be here about half an hour ago for sweeps. Plus, your parents have gone AWOL." Helena shot out of her seat.

"WHAT!"

"Oh, it's not that bad. Bruce…well, let's just say he needs a huge shoehorn to get his foot out of his mouth, and Selina went off to blow off some steam. He went after her. Do you think you can try to find your mom before he does? I have a feeling he might get seriously injured if he tries to dig himself out of the hole he put himself in."

"Gotcha. Let me just go home and change, and I'm on it." Helena got up. Reese also got up.

"What? I'm going too. Two minds are better than one."

"But, it's your night off."

"Yeah, well. With you out doing work, there's nothing better to do than to help."

"Aw, how sweet. See, that's why I keep you around!" Helena said mockingly.

"And here I thought it was because of my looks! What was I thinking?" Reese said while laughing.

"Well, that's just a perk." Helena looked him up and down while she said this. Reese put his arms around himself.

"Hey, now! You're violating my personal bubble!"

"Hmm, that's not all I can violate." Helena walked up to him and kissed him. He kissed her back, and it became very passionate. Reese pulled back after a while and looked at Helena.

"Helena…" She looked up at him.

"What?"

"I-I love you." Reese had his eyes closed when he said it. He was expecting Helena to run away, but she was done with running away that day.

"Jesse, open your eyes." He did, a little surprised that she said his first name. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him and smiling. She kissed him.

"I love you too, but I have to go home and change. I'll be back in a minute." She started backing out, and hit the door. She giggled, opened the door, and made her way to the balcony.

"Bye." She said before jumping out of the building.

"Bye."

A/N: Yay! You know, I actually didn't plan on that end, but it just fits. By the way, last night I saw "Batman Returns" for the first time. That movie is freakin' awesome:) I really liked it. Well, in other good news, my friend Katie is going to be helping me write some fight scenes…actually, she's going to be doing most of them, and I will stay away. YAY! She also helped me with some of this chapter and the next, so I'm giving her her credit! Thanks:)

I really am sorry that I wasn't able to update. If it makes you feel better, my friend Katie is telling me to write more every time she sees me. The next chapter is almost finished, so it won't be as long a wait.


	22. Mommy and Daddy have a squabble

A/N: Here it is. Hooray. I have some good news and some sad news for you all. The good news is that I have done an outline of this story (More boredom at work it would seem). The sad news is that there are only about four chapters left…I'm just glad that I know now where I'm going with this.

I also feel that I must apologize for this chapter. I've been moving (I'm actually still in the middle of moving, I just now have an internet connection!) so, I haven't been able to receive email or anything. Sorry!

Well, on to the next chapter!

Chapter 22

It took Bruce almost an hour to find Selina. When he did, he was surprised that he hadn't looked for her there in the first place. He found Selina in an alley, holding onto a little gray kitten. She was petting the kitten and looking into space. She looked up when he approached her.

"Hey." She stood up after he spoke to her.

"Hello." Her voice had an icy tone to it.

"Look, Selina…"

"Can it, Bruce. I don't want to hear it. You can take that apology and shove it up your ass."

"I didn't mean us when I said that! I just think that it isn't a good idea for Helena." Bruce knew he said the wrong thing when he saw Selina's eyes change. She started walking toward him. The poor little kitten fell off her lap and mewed his disapproval of her sudden movement.

"You don't even know Helena!" She growled out before kicking him in the jaw.

Star Star Star

Helena returned to Reese's apartment after about 10 minutes. She had a goofy grin on her face as she waited for him on his couch. When he came out, he didn't even start when he saw her. He did take a long look at that grin on her face.

"Hey, what's with you?" He smiled as she got up. She walked over to him.

"Hey, I'm happy. Give me a break. Are you ready?" She asked as she hugged him.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Has Oracle found them?"

"I don't know. Oracle?" Helena, of course, was addressing her coms.

"Yeah, I think I located them. They're in that alley at 39th Street. From the looks of it from a security camera at the ATM across the street, they're arguing. Oh!"

"What?" Helena asked.

"Well, it looks like your mother just kicked the crap out of him."

"Go Mom…I mean I'm on my way. Huntress out." Helena looked back at Reese.

"They're at 39th Street." She said to him.

"Go ahead. You'll get there quicker by the rooftops. I'll meet you there." Reese could tell that she was anxious to get there.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can wait…."

"You? I don't think you can. Just go." Reese said. Helena glared at him before turning to leave. He grabbed her arm before she left. She turned around and looked at him.

"What?" She asked. He answered by coming up to her and kissing her.

"I love you." He said and smiled. She smiled back.

"I love you too." Then she turned around and left.

Star Star Star

"What the hell was that for?" Bruce asked, rubbing his jaw.

"What was that for! Do you even need to ask me that? God, you sit there after Helena leaves and immediately start lecturing on her! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey, I was just saying that as a mentor…"

"Newsflash, Bruce. YOU ARE NOT HER MENTOR! I repeat, NOT her mentor! Barbara is her mentor, and she supports of Helena's decision. You're retired! Get over it!"

"I am over it."

"No, you're not. You keep going behind that damn mask all the time. You don't even know what you're saying when you start lecturing anymore."

"Yes, I do."

"You do? So, are you just a hypocrite, or were you never serious about me?" Bruce started at this. Now he knew exactly why she was upset. (A/N: He knew that she was mad about what he said. He didn't really understand exactly.)

"Selina…" Huntress leaping down into the alley interrupted him. She had landed right in-between the two.

"Hello folks."

"Huntress." Selina said. She had a look on her face to mirror Huntress's usual glare. (A/N: At Bruce, not Helena!)

"Wait, this is your costume? Where's the mask? How are you keeping your enemies from…figuring out…who you are." He started slowing down when he realized the icy looks he was getting from both Selina and Helena.

"I don't wear one," was Helena's answer. Inwardly, she was enjoying watching him squirm. (A/N: And I realize that I was writing that the kettle was black…)

"Oh…well that's…great! After all, Superman never wore a mask…" Bruce tried to be supportive. This was what Canary walked up to. The first thing she noticed was the big grin that had crept up again on Helena's face.

"Oh my God, you got laid, didn't you!" Canary asked. That got Bruce and Selina's attention, and all three of them stared at Huntress, whose face had gone a startling beet red. Canary started laughing. After a minute, she stopped and looked serious for a minute.

"Oh, are you smiling because you didn't get laid? Is he that bad?" Of course, Reese had just walked up at this point.

"No!" Helena said, still beet red.

"Thank God!" Reese said while laughing, before hugging her. Helena's face went purple with embarrassment. (A/N: And here I thought she couldn't get redder, but she went purple. Hehe, poor Helena…I really shouldn't enjoy this…but I am!)

"Alright, what's going on?" Bruce asked. Helena's face was now just dark red.

"He told you he loved you, didn't he?" Selina asked. Like at a tennis match, everyone's face turned to her when they saw Helena nod and look at Reese.

"How…how did you know that?" Dinah asked.

"Oh, well, I had the same stupid grin on my face when….never mind." She looked at Bruce for a second and then looked away. She then smiled, even though it was a little strained, at Helena and Reese, walked up to them, and hugged them both.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Immediately, Canary and Bruce did the same. Helena stiffened a little when Bruce hugged her, but she didn't say anything. When everyone was done, Selina started to walk off.

"Where are you going, Mom?" Helena asked.

"…I still need to blow off some steam." She said before leaping to a rooftop.

"Where do you think she's going?" Dinah asked Helena.

"Hmm, I don't know. What do you think?" Helena asked Bruce. (A/N: Yes, she addressed him without a biting comeback! Hell has officially frozen over! Want some ice skates?)

Bruce looked surprised that Helena had addressed him. He merely shrugged his shoulders in response to her question, saying, "I don't know to tell you the truth. She used to go rob banks in this kind of mood, but since she's retired, who knows?"

"What happened? When I left you two seemed ok." Helena mentioned .

"….Yeah, about that. I asked where you would go, Barbara mentioned that you would go to…your boyfriend's house. I asked about him, I got informed, I put my foot in my mouth. Need I say more?"

"Yes, actually. You do." Helena crossed her arms and gave him a glare. Bruce cringed and looked at his feet. (A/N: It seems that Helena can intimidate more than just Dinah!)

"….Look, can't we just leave it with 'I put my foot in my mouth?'" Bruce looked almost desperate to not tell her what he said. (A/N: I know you're all rolling your eyes saying, "Of course he doesn't want her to know!" I was just doing it for dramatic effect!)

Helena glared at him again as a response.

"Basically, he was criticizing her. That's all," Barbara said over the coms.

"Ok." Helena wasn't convinced, but she was going to let it go for now.

"Well, I hate to break up this party, but there was just a break-in at the First National Bank." Barbara said.

"Which one?"

"Between 39th and Booker."

"Ok, we're on it." Helena said. She kissed Reese, waved to Bruce, and climbed up the nearest rooftop. Dinah waved and walked towards the car.

"So…" Reese said.

"…So…" Bruce replied.

Star Star Star

A/N: Well, now it's done! Yay. By the way, a special thanks to three people: Astronomiegirl02, KelleyGaither, and MARY104.

Astronomiegirl02 so kindly read over this chapter and added in a couple of things. You can thank her for the "Did you get laid?" thing, but I get the credit for "Are you smiling because you didn't get laid?" thing.

Both KelleyGaither2000 and MARY104 actually IMed me to tell me that they

liked my fanfic and got me writing. I told you all it would work…Thanks you guys:)

Alright, onto the review stuff. Review and you shall all get answers from me. I answer questions, and SOMETIMES take requests. Stress on the Sometimes….but if you ask me what happens at the end, I will be forced to chase you with a rubber mallet….

HUNTRESS06: See? I knew you would like Chapter 21:) Yeah, I hope the Bruce/Helena thing gets resolved…but with the whole stubbornness thing. It is very hard to compromise. Thanks for reading:)

Lucy76: Thank you for saying that Chapter 20 was the best chapter. I agree. And thank you also for noticing the sarcasm, I love writing sarcasm…. :) And yes, I also think that Helena should be mad at her mom, but she's the kind of person (in my world anyway) that is very headstrong, and if she's going to be angry, she'll stay that way. I think she'd be protective of her mother and her choices. While she may be irrational, she will eventually give him a chance, or at least be civil like she was in this chapter. Thanks for reading:)

Katie (Astronomiegirl02): You already looked over this chapter. I hope ya like it. Thanks for helping me out:)

Heartsyhawk: Thanks for reading! It's so exciting to have new reviewers! Thank you for saying I'm doing an awesome job, I very much appreciate it. :)

Howlerdrode: Yeah, I do think it is a lot for one sitting. I've done it many times before, trying to get ideas for the next chapter and making sure it flows…I'm glad that you found it worthy to read all in one sitting! Thanks for reading:)

Ok, well that is all for now. I am a happy camper. By the way, I have recently found the coolest little free download…it puts Post-It notes on you computer. It is AWESOME! I positively ADORE Post-it notes!

To all you reviewers, I have found a really fun incentive for you all. Instead of just hugging my laptop (which has been getting me funny looks and a promise of drugs by the men in white) I have a surprise. I do promise, it is NOT a computer virus! It's also not a sundae like last time. Just review this chapter, include your email address, and I will email you a special surprise:) Again, I promise, NOT a computer virus.


	23. Where did Selina go?

A/N: Greetings! Yes, I am alive and well! I recently got an apartment (yay) with no internet connection (boo) so that is why it has taken me so long to update. Hope you like this next chapter. Honestly, I really didn't plan on having a conversation between Reese and Bruce, so you can thank heartsyhawk for that ;) See, sometimes I DO take requests, even when people don't realize they made them. Well, enjoy!

Chapter 23

"Well, we haven't really been introduced. I'm Jesse Reese." Reese held out his hand and Bruce shook it.

"Bruce Wayne." They stood there in an awkward silence, trying to figure out what to say to each other.

"So, Barbara tells me that you're a detective at New Gotham PD." Bruce said.

"Well, she would be correct." Reese answered.

"Do you work the night shift?"

"Yes. That's how I met Helena."

"Oh. Are you working tonight? You're not in uniform."

"No, tonight's my night off. The only reason I'm out here is Helena. She was upset when she came by my apartment. When Barbara found you two, I figured I'd come for moral support."

"Ah…"

"So, what happened?"

Bruce looked at him without saying anything.

"Oh well, you don't have to tell me…I was just curious."

"No, it's ok. When Selina told me about you and Helena, I kind of…"

"Freaked?" Reese offered.

"…Yeah. I mean, it's not a wise choice for a crime fighter to get involved with someone that can be used against him or her."

"You mean….how you didn't get involved with one of your so-called nemeses?" Reese mentioned, smiling. Bruce smiled back.

"Yup, that's what happened. See, I tend to say things without thinking when I get into my lecture mode. It got me in the doghouse."

"Ah. I can see why you don't want to tell Helena."

"Yeah, I have a feeling that it may set her off again. She's actually acknowledged my presence and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her."

"Thanks."

Star Star Star

Selina found herself standing outside the New Gotham Cemetery with a handful of flowers she…erm…"borrowed" from a vendor. Helena had told her that her sister was buried here. She had to see it and pay her respects, even if she had to endure the creepy feeling of seeing a tombstone with her name on it.

She kept passing by different tombstones, but not one had her name on it. She was getting a little creeped out because, let's face it, she was in a graveyard in the middle of the night.

After about five or six rows, Selina walked by a certain tombstone that caught her eye. She walked back and looked at the writing. She had told herself that seeing her own name on a tombstone wouldn't scare her, but it chilled her to the bone.

Star Star Star

"Alright, I've saved the innocent and helpless of New Gotham…well, for tonight anyway. So, what's happening?" Helena entered the clock tower after stopping the bank robbery and a few random thugs.

"Nothing, the town is quiet." Barbara said from her computer.

"Ok, so then why are you still at your computer?" Helena asked, walking up to Barbara.

"…I'm looking for your mother."

"Why? She hasn't come back yet? I thought she would be back by now." Helena's voice was laced with concern.

"No, she hasn't. I've been trying to locate her. Other than some lunatic stealing flowers from a vendor, there hasn't been any crime tonight after your shift was over."

"So, you think my mother has been out doing crime?" Helena's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"…Not necessarily, but that's what she used to do when she was upset, so…"

"So? She stopped doing that twenty-three YEARS ago! Why do you have such little faith in her!"

"It's not a lack of faith, Helena. It was just an idea. I've also been checking hospitals and some friends around town."

"A.k.a. Gibson. So, she's not in a hospital or at No Man's Land?" Helena saw Barbara make a face at her out of the corner of her eye.

"No. By the way, I resent that. I have more contacts than just Gibson."

"Sure Barbara, whatever you say. Um, just keep me informed if you find her. I'm going home."

"Ok. Good night."

"Good night." Helena waved and left the clock tower. Barbara watched her leave with concern etched in her features before returning to her computer.

Star Star Star

Bruce sighed as he walked back to the clock tower. He had a lot on his mind. For one thing, Selina was still angry. He didn't know where she was or when she would be back. He hoped that she would be ok.

"Selina, don't get yourself into trouble." Bruce muttered as he got into the elevator. As he waited to get up to the top, he thought about the encounter he had with Helena and her…boyfriend.

Helena was still angry, but she put it aside in order to deal with what was happening. Bruce could see Barbara's training in his daughter. When he saw Helena use her anger to intimidate him, he also saw Selina in her. She was certainly her mother's child. Even though he didn't agree with Helena's decision on the mask issue, he was still very proud of her. He was also pleased with Helena's taste in men so far.

Although Reese had given Bruce a very good first impression, he was still a little wary of the police detective. Bruce had learned very early on, both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne, not to trust first impressions. Before he could form an opinion of Jesse Reese, he was going to have to spend more time around him.

When the elevator door opened at the top floor, he saw Barbara sitting on the computer. She looked up when she heard the door open and waved him over. Bruce knew something was up because she was not smiling. She looked extremely tired and stressed.

"What's up?" He asked when he got over to her.

"I can't find her. I've checked the hospital, police records, and some contacts around town. Nobody's seen a woman fitting Selina's description." Barbara said.

"Ok, we have to find her. She could be anywhere." Bruce sat down with her to get some possible ideas.

Star Star Star

"Selina Kyle. May you rest in peace. Beloved mother and friend." Selina read from the tombstone in front of her. (A/N: Yes, there are dates too, but I'm too lazy to figure it all out, and I don't care!) She didn't realize that she was crying until she was about to put down the flowers and saw wet spots on the concrete. She took out the dead flowers, put her "borrowed" flowers in their spot, and stood up.

"Sarah, you deserved so much more than to just die in my place. Thank you for your sacrifice, and I swear to you, I will avenge your death. Clay Face will pay for what he did to you." She kissed her hand and touched the tombstone before turning to walk away. A look of pure anger and hatred hardened her features.

Suddenly, there was a flash, and Selina was standing inside a dark room with Clay Face standing across from her.

"You killed my sister, you son of a bitch." Selina said before kicking him across the face.

Dinah woke up with a start. She sat up in her bed, her heart beating fast. She hadn't had a vision like that in a while. After waiting a couple minutes to calm down, she got up. She wanted to get a glass of water and to tell Barbara about her vision.

End End End

A/N: Well, that's it for now! I'd like to thank my friend Amanda for proofreading this. Ok, now comes the part where I beg for reviews. Ready for it? Ok………PLEASE review! I'm on my knees and a 900 dollar suit! (yes, I did steal that from Liar Liar….so sue me) Let me know what you thought, what I could improve, what sucks, anything. I like hearing it. Ok, now I'm done blabbing for the day! I'll do my smiley time next chapter. :)


	24. The Search is on!

A/N: Hey all! Now, I know it's been a while, but I've been having fun computer issues! By the way, Rent A Center is a GREAT place to get a laptop (sarcasm noted, I hope) They completely deleted my hard drive and didn't even fix the problem I had in the first place. I am currently typing this on my mother's computer. Anyway, I also wanted to let you know that I will be answering reviews on my homepage, which can be found on my fun little profile. Yay! As an I'm sorry gift, this chapter is long. Don't ya love me? Now, on with the story.

Chapter 24

Dinah rushed down the stairs as she went over her vision for the third time. Her heart was still racing from her vision. What if what she saw came true? Was Selina angry enough to kill Clayface and end up going to jail? Well, yeah she was angry enough. I mean, Clayface did kill her sister. But, Selina still hadn't completely recovered from her ordeal. She never said anything, but it was obvious to her, Barbara and Helena. Clayface was capable of turning the tables and killing her. He had done it before. Helena just got her mother back. Dinah wasn't sure that she could handle losing her again.

Getting to the lower floor, Dinah padded towards Barbara's room. (A/N: They never really say where Barbara's room is, but I'm sure it's on the lower floor, closer to her computer) She tried to stay as quiet as possible because it was 3 in the morning. Barbara usually had to be forcibly removed from her computer to get some sleep and then she was out like a light. Sometimes, she went peacefully. Most of the time, however, there was a lot of kicking and screaming. The screaming by Barbara, and the kicking by the girls as they kicked her wheelchair toward her room.

"Barbara?" Dinah whispered as she tiptoed into the room. Barbara was known to get a little cranky if she was woken up during the time she was forced to sleep. She already went through seven alarm clocks this month. Poor things. When there was no answer, Dinah gritted her teeth and called her again, only louder. She was praying that Barbara would wake up easily, while she was a safe distance away. Dinah still had bruises from the last time she had to wake Barbara up.

"Barbara?" Again, there was no answer. Dinah went up with the intention to shake her awake.

"Barb-AHHH!" No sooner had she touched Barbara's shoulder was she grabbed by the wrist and flipped.

"What the...Dinah? DINAH! What are you doing up and on the floor? It's...three o'clock in the morning? It's THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" Somehow, Dinah managed to figure out that Barbara was awake.

"Well, it's hard to stay on your feet when someone flips you," Dinah muttered as she got up. She rubbed her tailbone. That was going to bruise...again.

"Sorry. But you should know better by now to be careful when trying to wake me up." Barbara sat up as she laughed at her little joke. For some reason, Dinah didn't join her. (A/N: heehee I wonder why...) She patted the edge of her bed for Dinah to sit down next to her.

"Now, you better have a good reason for waking me up." Dinah sat down and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, I was asleep and I had a vision."

"About?"

"Helena's mom."

"What happened?" Barbara grabbed Dinah's arm.

Blippity Blippity Blippity Boo (what are you reading this for? Read the story!)

Reese's Apartment

What a night, Reese thought to himself as he was lying in bed. He had been trying to sleep for the past two hours, but so much had happened tonight. He had now met both of Helena's parents. All that was left was to introduce Helena to his mother. Reese grimaced at that thought. Oh boy, would that be fun. His mother had a history of going a tad overboard when he would bring a woman home to meet her. Therefore, he stopped doing it. She would cook a huge meal, get out the baby pictures, and ask about the wedding and children, even though there wasn't either. And Helena thought her mom was bad. Not that he hadn't been thinking about those things. He would just like to talk to Helena about those things before talking about them with his mother. Although, Helena didn't really seem interested in progressing. Well, she did tell him that she loved him. That had to mean something, right?

Someone knocking on his door interrupted his train of thought and brought him back to the present time. Someone was knocking? Reese looked over at his alarm clock. It read: 3:05 AM. He got up, a little dazed, and grabbed a baseball bat that was against his bedroom door, just in case. (A/N: Don't you notice that in just about every movie and TV show, when someone's knocking in the middle of the night, someone always grabs a baseball bat?) On the other side of his door was the absolute last person he expected to be knocking on his door. He shook his head, put down the baseball bat, and opened the door.

"Hey," Helena said. She didn't seem fazed by the fact that it was three in the morning.

Reese stepped back for a second and looked at her. Then, he turned around and looked at the balcony behind him. Then he looked back at her.

"What?" She looked at him, confused.

"...It's open." He pointed at the balcony.

"I know. Can't I do something normal and polite once in a while?"

"Uh-oh. What's wrong?" Reese knew that this was serious. Helena went to his front door and knocked. Who died?

Helena shrugged and walked inside. Reese closed the door behind her. He followed her to his couch and sat down beside her. They sat there for a moment without speaking. Then, Helena broke the silence.

"My mother's been gone for almost three hours now. We don't know where she went or if she's okay." She spoke softly and put her head on his shoulder.

Reese was silent. He really didn't know what to tell her, so he just put an arm around her for comfort. He knew that she must be anxious and scared. Her mother was the most important person in Helena's world. She was the person who knew Helena the best. Reese didn't think he would ever meet someone that knew Helena better than Barbara did. Then he met Selina, who knew Helena like the back of her hand. There may have been a seven-year gap between them, but if there was one thing Selina knew, it was her daughter. Barbara was second to Selina in knowing Helena. Reese was quickly becoming the third person who knew Helena the best because let's face it...he had seen her cry.

Helena now had her arms around his waist. She wasn't crying this time (Reese silently rejoiced); instead, she was just staring into space.

"At first, I didn't think it was that big a deal. I mean, she had a reason to blow off some steam. But that was a good three hours ago. What if something bad happened to her?" Helena's voice was so quiet that Reese had trouble hearing her and that unnerved him. She was barely even speaking, which was so unlike her.

"Helena, I wish I could tell you that she's alright, but I can't. What I can tell you is that she's a strong woman. You know that she can take care of herself." Helena looked up at him.

"I know that, but I can't help staying worried. I keep telling myself that she's going to be okay. Then I keep imagining ten million things happening to her while I just sit here, unable to help her. Now all I can do is think about the last thing I said to her. I love her so much. I can't bear to lose her again...not now. I feel so...helpless. I hate feeling helpless."

"I know..." Reese squeezed her shoulder. Helena smiled.

"Thanks. How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"I read it in a book somewhere." Reese laughed as Helena punched him on the shoulder.

Helena brought her face up to his. They were mere seconds away from kissing when they were interrupted. (A/N: I just LOVE interrupting them. It's so fun!)

"Huntress, I need you back at headquarters immediately." Helena groaned. Why did she always wear her coms? She looked at her watch. It was 3:30.

"Man, it must be important."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Barbara's awake." She looked at Reese, trying not to laugh.

LA LA LA LA I CANT SEE YOU LA LA LA LA

Some random apartment in New Gotham...

Selina sat down on a bed in a hotel. She wasn't ready to go back to the clock tower, so she rented a room for the night under a false name. She felt a little childish for running away, and guilty for making everyone worry (she knew they would), but if she told them, Bruce would know and then he would get all pig-headed and come to find out what was wrong and how to fix it. He always did that. Selina smiled sadly when she remembered the one time he couldn't fix her problem.

_Flashback:_

_Catwoman was pacing back and forth in an alleyway. There were a million thoughts running through her head. She just found out that morning that she was pregnant. That thought terrified her to the very core. First off, she got into fights in the night. She was about a month pregnant. What if, in the time she didn't know, her childn had been damaged? She obviously had to retire for the sake of her child, if her child hadn't already been damaged. Second off, and the thought that terrified her the most, was Batman. He was the child's father. What was she thinking? This child was in danger. Once his enemies knew, this child would be used against him, whether or not he was involved. Oh, no. What if he didn't want to be involved? She couldn't handle this by herself. Well, first she had to tell him. How in the world was she going to tell him? _

_Someone dropping into the alleyway startled her. She turned around to see the first and last person she wanted to see at that moment._

_"Alright, Catwoman, where's the money?" He leered at her, preparing to mock fight like always. This time, Catwoman wasn't going to take the bait._

_"There is no money." She said as she took a step back. Batman stopped and put down his fists. She had never done that before._

_"What?"_

_"I didn't steal any money. I just went in to get your attention." She took another step back and grabbed her empty sack. She shook it for effect._

_"And why is it that you wanted my attention?" He smiled and took a step towards her. She went up to him and looked him straight in the eye._

_"We need to talk." _

_"What's wrong?" He knew this was serious, so he stopped playing._

_"I'm...retiring." She looked up at him. That was not what you were supposed to tell him, her inner voice yelled. Her other inner voice told the first one to shut up because there were too many ears around. She couldn't tell him about the baby while there was a chance of the wrong person overhearing. They couldn't know that Batman was going to become a father._

_"Really? That's great! Now I don't have to worry about you." He smiled and made a move to hug her. She moved to avoid him. If he hugged her now, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to say it._

_"That's not all." She looked up at his hurt face. He seemed to have an idea of what this was about._

_"I'm leaving New Gotham tomorrow. I don't know when I'm coming back, or if I will come back."_

_"Oh, so this is just a goodbye then? Well, thanks. It's been fun." He was pissed. He turned around to leave, but she grabbed his arm first._

_"I want you to come with me." He turned around._

_"What?"_

_"Come with me. Retire being Batman and come be with me! It would be so wonderful!" Selina had an urgency in her voice. This was the perfect idea. If he retired, he could be a part of their child's life without the baby being in danger. _

_"You know I can't do that, Selina. Without me, this town will be crawling with criminals." He couldn't believe she was asking him this. She could tell. She spent the last two years learning to read him, even before they got together._

_"No it won't. Let the others take over. Please do this. For me." She could feel him trying to figure out what was going on. He was a smart man; he knew that there was something else. She grabbed his arm and looked straight in his eyes. _

_He was silent and wouldn't look at her. She almost couldn't take it. Catwoman was one moment away from getting on her hands and knees and begging him to go with her when he responded._

_"I'm sorry. I...can't go with you." Instantly, tears welled up in her eyes._

_"Ok." She said before she leaped up to another building._

_She went up to the top of a random apartment building where Batgirl found her ten minutes later. The sight she walked up to was a crying Catwoman. _

_"Hey, what's wrong?" She put a hand on her shoulder._

_"Oh, what do you care?" She wrenched her shoulder away and wiped away her tears. Batgirl leaned over and whispered in her ear._

_"I cared ever since you started sleeping with Bruce." Catwoman didn't even flinch. She got up and walked to the other side of the apartment roof. After she didn't see anyone around, she looked over at Barbara._

_"Barbara, I want you to swear to me that what I'm going to tell you needs to be kept a secret. This is something I can't tell Bruce, ok?" Barbara nodded._

_"I... I'm pregnant." Whew, that was easier than she thought. She looked up to see Barbara's astonished face. Barbara's mouth moved around a bit before she answered._

_"Is... is Bruce the father?"_

_"YES he's the father. What do you think, that I just sleep around? Wait, don't answer that."_

_"Sorry. But, what are you going to do? You have to tell him!" _

_"No. I'm retiring and I'm leaving Gotham tomorrow. I don't know if I'm coming back. He doesn't have to know a thing."_

_"Selina, you have to tell him. He will help you."_

_"Are you kidding me? Please, I can't believe I asked him to retire being Batman for me. I...I just thought that I...meant as much to him as he did to me..." Damn it, she was crying again. _

_Barbara went over and hugged her. Selina just cried harder._

_End Flashback_

Selina shook her head. She didn't need to think about the past anymore. She looked over at the telephone. What she needed was someone that she could tell that would tell Helena and not Bruce. The perfect person came to mind.

"Reese." She picked up the phone and dialed 411 to get Reese's number. As she was dialing, she glanced at her clock.

"Damn it." It was 3:45 in the morning.

"Oh, well. I'll leave a message if he's asleep."

After she got his machine (since he was in the clock tower with Helena), she started speaking.

"Hello, Jesse. This is Selina Kyle. I wanted to ask a favor of you. Could you please let Helena, and only Helena, know that I'm ok? I'm asking this of you because I can't tell Barbara; she will tell Bruce. I just went to my sister's grave. I'll be back later tomorrow...or today, rather."

Laying back on her bed, Selina thought about the upcoming day. Oh boy, she thought to herself, is Clayface is going to get his.

JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS ROBIN LAID AN EGG

"Hey, what's up?" Helena asked as she and Reese got out of the elevator. "Do you even know what time it is?"

"No, Helena, I am not aware that it is 3:45 in the morning." Barbara didn't even glance away from her computer. Helena realized that Barbara was a little grumpy this morning.

"What's going on?"

"Well, I was asleep and I had a vision," Dinah said. She was sitting a considerable distance away from Barbara's peripheral eyesight. Dinah didn't want to face the wrath of a half-awake Barbara again. She valued her limbs.

"What was the vision?" Reese asked.

"I saw Helena's mother."

"Where was she!" Helena rushed up to Dinah, who paled a little. Helena came up really fast.

"She was at...mpph." The last part was said into her hand.

"What? Dinah just tell me! Don't mutter it into your hand like a child!" Helena was getting impatient, so the volume of her voice increased. When she raised her voice, Barbara's knuckles tightened, although Helena didn't see it. Barbara wasn't fond of loud noises this early in the morning.

"She was at...Arkham. Arkham Asylum." Dinah cringed before looking up at Helena's face. At first, Helena's face was one of confusion. Then, the light bulb went on and that look was replaced with fear. She turned around to leave, but Reese grabbed her first.

"Let me go," she hissed at him.

"No."

"Let. Me. Go." Her eyes changed as they narrowed.

"Helena, listen to me. She can't get in. It's 3:50 in the morning. Arkham is closed to visitors and she can't break in. The security there is unbelievable these days," Reese told her. Helena struggled with him for a little bit, but he had a firm grip on her.

"Helena." Barbara's voice was harsh. Helena looked over at her.

"Now, you listen to me. I sent Bruce over there to see if she's broken in. So far, she hasn't. So, you will not be going anywhere, do you understand me?" Barbara was definitely grumpy.

Helena nodded sheepishly and sat down in the nearest chair.

"Now you see why I'm all the way over here," Dinah said to break the ice. Everyone laughed as Barbara glared at Dinah.

BATMOBILE LOST A WHEEL AND THE JOKER TOOK BALLET HEY!

Bruce was scouting around Arkham. He was tired, sore, and now dirty. This was the perfect end to the perfect day. He got in a fight with both his daughter and the woman he loved. Now, he was watching Arkham at 4 o'clock in the morning to see if Selina would break in to kill Clayface.

Would Selina break in? Bruce honestly didn't know. It would be something Catwoman would do. Catwoman always loved a challenge. Breaking into Arkham, a place with top-notch security, would be something she couldn't resist. But that was 25 years ago. Selina had grown up. Bruce had only been with her for a week, but the change in her was so vast that it was evident the second he saw her.

That change in Selina's character was what pissed Bruce off about being out here. He really didn't think that Selina would break into Arkham. That sort of behavior seemed juvenile to the new Selina. Sure, she still had a prominent bad streak in her, but Helena had tamed the wildest side of her, something Bruce was never able to accomplish. Well, he laughed as he thought to himself, at least I helped a little.

A snapped twig brought him back to reality. He quietly went to see what made the twig snap.

When he got to the other side of the building, he didn't see anything. Then, getting into his Batman mode (A/N: I don't know why I like calling it that!), he started scouting around. He was so immersed in looking for clues (after all, he is known as the best detective), that he didn't hear the footsteps coming up until they were right behind him.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He heard the footsteps a second before they stopped. He counted slowly to 10 and turned around, prepared to hit...

a;lkdjfa;siofdja;sijofasdlfkjas;io

A/N: Hmm...maybe I should leave it here...or not...

;slajfasl;djfsa;dlfkjas;dfkjasgoji

...A stray dog. He laughed as the dog barked at him and ran off.

"Wow, if that's not a sign that I've become paranoid, I don't know what is." He walked around for a bit before turning on his coms.

"Oracle, it's all quiet here. She's not going to show up."

"I'm coming to the same conclusion. Head on back and we'll wait for her to contact us. She doesn't want to be found."

"Copy that. I'm out." Bruce turned off his coms and started walking towards that clock tower. When he was halfway there, an ironic thought came to him and he voiced it out loud.

"I never thought I would take orders from my protégée."

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

A/N: No, this isn't the end of the fic, just the chapter:) Hope you like it! Let me know what you think! If you can't get to my review thingee from my profile here is the website:

http/ worldleaderoftomorrow. take out the spaces. You know the drill.

Well, I'm out. Until next time!


	25. The Search Continues

A/N: Ok, I know it's been a while and I know that I didn't do any review responses….. It's been a long month and a half. Let's just say that I'm regretting not changing my major sooner. Take a piece of advice from someone who got screwed if you're not in college yet: Do not take non-major science classes unless you're SURE that you're not going to major in something that needs a major science…..ho-hum….Otherwise, if you DO end up changing to something that majors, you have to take a new science course and the one you already took means nothing.

Chapter 25

Helena woke up with a start. She looked around quickly to make sure Barbara didn't notice her nodding off before she realized that the clock tower was completely silent. She took a look around.

She had fallen asleep with her head on Reese's shoulder. Reese had fallen asleep with his head tilted back. They were both on a couch. Dinah was curled up in a chair upstairs. Her fath…_Bruce_ had taken over another couch. When Helena saw Barbara, she had to stifle a laugh.

Barbara had fallen asleep on her beloved computer. So far, she had written 25 pages of gibberish. Helena got up and walked over to Barbara. She gently shook her.

"Barbara. Wake up," she whispered in Barbara's ear. She knew that Barbara reacted violently to loud noises. (A/N: Too bad Dinah didn't know that piece of info!) Barbara jerked and brought her head up. She looked at Helena.

"What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Everyone fell asleep. We've all been out a couple of hours. Did you see the novel you wrote?" She pointed to the computer.

Barbara followed Helena's gaze to her computer. When she saw the computer screen, she blushed and quickly exited out of the program.

"I can't believe I fell asleep." She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got back on the Delphi system.

"Barbara. It's ok. It's only 8:30 in the morning. Four hours have gone by. When everyone else gets up, we'll all be fresh and ready to catch Mom."

"Alright. Wake everyone up, will you?" Barbara asked.

"Sure." Helena walked over to Reese and shook him.

"Hey sleepyhead. Wakey wakey," she whispered in his ear. He woke up laughing at her.

"Wakey wakey? What are we, eight?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Yes I am. There are much better ways that you can wake me up," he leered at her.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"This." He walked up to her and kissed her. Helena smiled as they broke apart.

"I guess I could take that into consideration." She started to kiss him again, but Barbara cleared her throat, thereby getting their attention. Helena turned around.

"Yes?" Her tone was a TAD irritated.

"I believe I asked you to wake everyone up, but I still see two sleeping bodies." Barbara smiled when Helena glared at her. There was a small staring contest, but Helena lost.

"Fine." She stalked upstairs to Dinah's chair. She started to push it.

"Don't even think about it." Barbara warned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Helena heading toward the staircase.

"Aw, c'mon Barbara! You're no fun. She's a meta. She heals quickly." Helena started pouting.

"No."

"Ok party pooper." Helena stopped pushing Dinah's chair. Instead, she tilted it over so that Dinah fell out of it. Barbara glared at Helena.

Dinah woke up the second she landed on the floor. She looked around and saw Helena laughing and still holding the chair.

"Damn it Helena! Couldn't you find a nicer way to wake me up that wouldn't bruise me?" She growled as she stood up.

"What? This _was_ the nice way of waking you up! I was originally going to push you down the stairs, but Barbara said no." Dinah turned around.

"Thanks Barbara." Barbara looked up and waved before returning her attention to the computer screen. Dinah walked down the steps and stood beside her. Helena righted the chair and followed her.

"So, what are we doing?" Helena asked.

"Well, Dinah, Reese, and I are going to sift through the last of these police reports from the last four hours. You are going to wake Bruce up." Helena groaned and made her way to the couch where Bruce was sleeping.

Bruce looked so peaceful in his sleep. Helena almost felt bad for waking him up…almost. Hey, it was her mother she was looking for. She started to shake him.

"Wake up." She said brightly. He groaned, opened his eyes, and looked as his watch. Then he looked up at Helena and jumped.

"Hey," he said hesitantly.

"Hey yourself. Barbara sent me to wake everyone up."

"Oh, ok. I'm up." Bruce stood up. An awkward silence followed that statement as Bruce looked at Helena and Helena pointedly did not look back.

"What?" It was too much for her. He jumped a little and took a step back.

"I'm sorry. It's just…"

"Just what?" Helena crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head, and stared at him, all while scowling. When Bruce saw her do this, he stifled a laugh. He didn't do it quietly enough to escape Helena's attention. She glared at him. Bruce looked back at her and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but that look and stance…I've seen your mother give me that look at least a hundred times." Helena's stone-cold glare softened a bit.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I was staring. You just look so much like Selina. I mean, you have my hair and eyes, but you have her walk, her glare of course," Helena's mouth turned up a little, "and her smile."

"Thank you." Now she was really smiling. Helena was smiling, yes _smiling_ at Bruce. The world was shocked as they witnessed hell freezing over.

They both walked over to where Barbara, Dinah, and Reese were.

"Anything?" Helena asked.

"Nope. I wasn't planning on finding anything, but I was hoping."

"So what's the plan?" Bruce asked. Barbara sat thinking for a minute before answering.

"I'm sending Dinah and Reese out to Arkham."

"Dinah!" Helena exclaimed.

"Yes, Dinah. She isn't as involved in this as you and Bruce are. This way, I won't be risking someone running on their emotions. Reese, can you get yourself and Dinah inside if need be?" Barbara turned to Reese.

"Yes."

"Good."

Star……………..Star……………….Star

Selina was up and dressed by seven o'clock. She knew she had to get there early because knowing Bruce and Barbara, they would find her before long. She made her way out of the hotel (A/N: Yes, it was out the front door.) and walked to Arkham, which was two blocks away.

"Boy, what a depressing place," she muttered. She thanked all the known deities that she never got caught and put in there.

Selina walked inside the building. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to an all-white room. There was a desk about twenty feet in front of her. To the right of the desk, was a security door. Selina could see the button by the desk. There were four chairs and some end tables filled with magazines.

"I feel like I'm in a doctor's office," she thought to herself. She walked up to the nurse at the desk.

"May I help you?" The nurse asked.

"Yes, I'm here to visit one of the patients here." Selina answered with a smile.

"Ok. Which one?" The nurse started typing on the computer.

"Clayface." The nurse started and looked up at Selina for a split second before regaining her composure.

"Um, ma'am, that particular…patient is not allowed visitors without the right credentials."

"Oh...is that because he's a criminal?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Well, is there anyone I can talk to? You see, he…killed my sister seven years ago. I've been trying to deal with it since then. I think I need to see that man's face in order to get closure." Selina whispered this to the nurse. The nurse's face instantly changed to one of sympathy.

"Hook, line, and sinker," she thought to herself.

"I'm not sure if this can help, but I can have the director talk to you." The nurse picked up the phone. She gestured at Selina to have a seat. Selina sat down and looked through a magazine.

She was bored before she even started looking through the first page. Who actually reads a magazine about streams and fields? Well, not her. Luckily, she didn't have to find another boring magazine. The director came out.

"Ma'am? If you could follow me please." He led her to his office. He sat down at the desk and Selina took a seat.

"Look, before you say it, I do understand that it's not your policy to let people in without the proper credentials."

"Ok. How about we introduce ourselves? My name is James Rivers. I'm the director of this asylum."

"My name is Selina Kyle. I wish to visit your asylum." Selina replied.

"Well, Ms. Kyle, what is your purpose in seeing Clayface?"

"Well, Clayface murdered my twin sister seven years ago. He thought he murdered me."

"Surely you're not here to forgive him?"

"Well, no. Initially, I wanted to find some way to kill him. Now, I want him to see that I'm alive. I'd like to shock him. That's all, although I wouldn't mind kicking his ass if he tries to attack me." She smiled when the director laughed.

"Well, he's being held in a secure cell. He escaped from a glass one a while back…"

"Yes, and he tried to kill my daughter." Selina finished. The director's eyes widened.

"Oh…I'm sorry about that. Well, like I was saying, he's now being held in a secure cell where he is watched at all times.

Abra Kadabra………….New Scene!

"Ok, let's go over the plan one last time…" Barbara started to say but she stopped when she heard everyone groan.

"What?"

"Barbara, you've told us the plan at least four times! We know what to do," Dinah complained.

"Ok, humor me." Barbara crossed her arms over her chest.

"Dinah and I are going to look around the perimeter of Arkham. If we don't find her, we will go inside, show the nurse her picture, and ask if she's been there. It's not that hard to remember," Reese said.

"Ok, so you do know the plan," Barbara muttered.

"There's only one flaw in that plan," Bruce said. Barbara glared at him.

"What might that be, pray tell?"

"What are we going to do while all this is going on?" Helena asked.

"Well, I am going to be working on a lesson plan for next week's class. Bruce, you can figure out what you should say when we find Selina. Helena, you can help him. As long as we're all on coms, there will be no problems."

Helena frowned at this. On one hand, she really could help Bruce figure out what to say. It would also help pass the time. But on the other hand, this was the man that, although unknowingly, abandoned her and her mother. But her mother did love the man...

She was interrupted in her thoughts by Bruce. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Would you be ok with that, Helena?" He looked her square in the eye. Who could say no to that?

"I guess so." She nodded. Bruce silently rejoiced.

INNOCENT SCENE DIVIDER…DON'T MIND ME…..I'M JUST A SCENE DIVIDER

"Now, Ms. Kyle, you do understand that it is not our policy to allow visitors convicted homicide patients, correct?"

"Yes, I do understand."

"Now, before I let you go in, I have to let you know that this man is potentially dangerous." The director was obviously obligated to say this to the visitors. Selina nodded along as she tried not to tune him out.

"Since there is a risk in letting you see him, I need you to sign a release form." The director turned around in his chair and opened up a file cabinet. He then thumbed through some files until he got to the one he was looking for. He took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Selina. She took it and read through the release. After she finished it, she was confused. Something wasn't adding up.

"I have to sign this release form in case a man in a cell hurts me?" This didn't make sense to her. He told her that Clayface was in a maximum security cell with guards at all times. Why would she be in any danger?

"Well, he won't be behind bars." The director said. A line of sweat started beading up on his forehead.

"What?"

"We will have him in a strait jacket in a secured room but he will not be behind bars." He finished.

"Why?"

"His cell is very far in the asylum. Authorized personnel only. This is the reason we usually don't allow visitors. By having him secured, I can override the policy."

Selina smiled. "And I thank you for that." She grabbed the pen he offered to her and signed the release form.

"Well then. Now that that's settled, why don't you wait here and I'll get him into the secured room." She nodded and the director got out of his seat and left the room, gently closing the door. Once he left, Selina grinned.

"This day keeps getting better and better."

Abra Kadabra………….New Scene!

Dinah and Reese, meanwhile, were _not_ having a good time. They were stuck in morning traffic.

"I can _not_ believe this!" Reese muttered as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel. He was getting frustrated because they left the clock tower ten minutes ago and they hadn't even moved ten blocks.

"Would it make me a bad person if I said that there will be hell to pay if there isn't a major accident up there?" Dinah asked.

"No." Reese said.

"Good because there had better be a pile of dead bodies up there." Dinah threatened. (A/N: This I stole from David Spade on his stand up from Last Laugh 2005.)

"Ok, that might be taking it too far." Reese started laughing. They both laughed for a while.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop. Let's talk about something serious." Dinah said when she calmed down.

"Such as?"

"You and Helena." When Dinah said that, Reese jerked and accidentally honked the horn. He also turned a little red.

"Oh? And what business is it of yours?" He recovered quickly.

"Well, as she is practically my big sister, I have every right to butt in." Dinah crossed her arms and attempted to stare him down. She was unsuccessful.

"Ok…so what do you want to talk about?" Reese was suspicious.

"Well, I want to know if you want to marry her."

Reese looked like he was chocking. His eyes bugged out, his face turned a dark red, and he started coughing.

"Wh…what! You want to know if…know if I want to _marry_ her! Did Helena put you up to this?" Dinah shook her head.

"Jesse, calm down. I'm not asking if you want to marry her today. I'm just saying, you guys love each other, right? Do you think that maybe you might get married down the road? Maybe in a couple of years?" Dinah asked this question carefully. She was _dying_ to know the answer, but Reese looked very uncomfortable with the entire subject of his relationship with Helena. She hoped he would answer her question.

"Don't you think we're a little young to be thinking about marriage, or that it's too soon?"

"No."

Reese looked out of the window for a long time. He was contemplating telling her the truth. He decided to confide in her.

"You promise that you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course." She nodded. Inwardly, she was both rejoicing and worrying at the same time. She was hoping that the answer was yes, he did plan on marrying her. She was also worried that he planned to break up with her. Dinah wasn't sure if she could look at Helena straight if she knew that.

"Well, the truth is…yes, I do want to marry her. In fact, I plan on asking her to marry me once all this has settled." Dinah squealed and clapped her hands.

"I knew it! I knew it! So, how do you plan on doing it? Romantic dinner and putting it in the champagne glass?" Dinah asked excitedly.

"No, that's too clichéd for her. Here's what I had in mind." Reese leaned over and whispered in her ear. (A/N: Now, if I let you know his plans, what kind of surprise would that be?) When he finished, Reese looked at the road for a second and then looked back at Dinah. Dinah had a huge smile on her face.

"That is _so_ her! She'll love it! It's perfect! How did you come up with that?"

"Well, I had a little help."

"Selina?"

"No."

"Barbara?"

"….Maybe..."

"I knew it! Do you need any more help?" Dinah batted her eyelashes at him.

"We'll see. _Finally_!" The traffic cleared up and they sped towards Arkham.

Abra Kadabra……………..NEW SCENE!

"Ms. Kyle?" The director entered the room, jolting Selina into reality. She had been daydreaming for the past five minutes.

"Yes?"

"We're ready. Follow me please."

He led her down a hallway that had about a hundred doors. One of them was open and, as they passed by, Selina peeked inside. They were what she had expected: visiting areas. Instead of being white, the rooms were a pale yellow color. There was a white table and four white chairs. Even though the color was cheery, the room had a depressing feel to it that was emphasized by the lack of decorations anywhere.

After what seemed like hours, the director stopped by a closed door. He took out a set of keys. When Selina gave him a confused look, he showed them to her.

"These are the keys to all the doors in this building. I have to lock the door behind you when you go in so that he will not escape. For your safety, we have security cameras inside the room which are monitered at all times. If we have to, we'll be in there in seconds." He opened the door. Selina took a deep breath before walking in.

Clayface was sitting in a chair facing the door. He didn't look too happy to be in a strait jacket. When he saw her, his jaw dropped.

"Hello Clayface. Remember me?"

A/N: Ok, that's the end of this chapter. Hope you liked! Let me know what ya think:)


	26. Selina's Revenge

A/N: Ok, I'm back. By the way, if there is anyone out there that likes Clayface…..um, you better not read this chapter. :)

Chapter 26

Helena and Bruce decided to walk around the block instead of staying in the clock tower. It was too stuffy in there for them. They were both active people who needed to move, so walking around was better for them. After swearing on pain of death that they wouldn't go to Arkham, Barbara acquiesced to their request. (A/N: Anyone recognize where I might have gotten that line?)

They got halfway around the block without any form of conversation. Bruce was looking at the sites of New Gotham, noticing the differences from when he was last there, while Helena was having an internal debate on the pros and cons of jumping into moving traffic to get away from the uncomfortable silence. The main pro was that she was a meta, so she healed quickly. The main con (and the reason she didn't do it) was that she didn't have medical insurance, being a part-time bartender and all. The vigilante department didn't have medical benefits either, so if she got seriously hurt, she wouldn't be able to afford to go to the hospital. Neither one of them knew how to start a conversation with the other. Luckily (or unluckily, it depends on who's point of view you're looking from), they ran into somebody that knew how to do it.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Helena Kyle. How long has it been since we last saw each other? Unless my memory is deceiving me, which it never does, it's been eleven days, six hours, twelve minutes, and seventeen seconds." They walked right by No Man's Land without Helena realizing it. Gibson happened to be standing right outside.

"Boy, how time does fly." Helena said through gritted teeth. She did not need this now…of course, she had to run into Gibson at a time like this!

"So, my dear, what are you doing out during the day? It's only 1:25. On your days off, if you decide to come around, you come around 4:13 or so."

"Well, Gibson, I was taking a walk. I'm actually with someone." Helena turned around and pointed to Bruce, who was quietly watching.

"This is…"

"Bruce Wayne? THE Bruce Wayne? Here? In New Gotham?" Apparently Gibson already knew who he was. He straightened out his shirt and picked off some lint from his shoulder.

"Have we met?"

"No, we have not been formally introduced. But when I was two and a half, my mother stopped you and you patted my head as you said hello."

"Oh…" Bruce looked over to Helena for help.

"He's the meta with the most annoying power. He remembers everything!" Helena explained.

"Do you think I need reminding of that fact?" Gibson asked before turning to Bruce and holding out his hand.

"Gibson Kafka. Friend and admirer of Helena. Wait a second. Helena, isn't this your father? You know, I do recall on 118 separate occasions where you said that you didn't want anything to do with him or his money." Bruce shook his hand and they both turned to Helena. She shrugged.

"Things change."

Star Star Star

Back in Arkham

"How…what…" Seeing Selina alive shattered the calm demeanor that Clayface usually had. Selina smiled when she noticed how easy it was to break him.

"You forgot who, where, and when," she said as she sat down across from him. Clayface knew his was in deep. The kindness that usually showed in Selina's green eyes was gone. Instead, they were burning into his skin with something akin to blind rage. He closed his eyes and could still feel her gaze. After a moment, he was able to adapt to her glare and resumed his calm façade.

"Selina Kyle. What are you doing here? I heard from quite a few reliable sources that you were no longer with us."

"Oh? And which reliable sources were these?" She asked. You'd think that she was talking about the weather and not her supposed death.

"They were some coworkers of mine."

"Ok, drop the bullshit. I know it was you."

"Selina that is an awfully serious accusation. You and I always got along. Why would I want to kill you?"

"I don't know. I always thought you were a wacko. Let me guess: some weird poetry thing that nobody but you gets?"

"Hey, now. Don't be like that. I worked very hard. I think it was rather successful. I got what I needed from your daughter.

Selina gripped the table so hard that her knuckles turned white. Clayface noticed and smiled.

"Now, how on earth did you manage to elude me? I know that I stabbed you in the heart with my bare hands. I saw the light of life in your eyes fade into darkness. I-"

"Always the poet," Selina muttered. Clayface stopped and glared at her. He hated when he was interrupted. Then his glare softened.

"Now, tell me. How is it that you survived?" He asked her so kindly and sincerely that Selina looked him right in the eye…and burst into laughter. She couldn't believe it. He was trying to pull one over on her. Her! He was trying to use the nice guy routine that he used on most women (including her daughter), but he had never been stupid enough to try it on her.

"Wouldn't…you…like…to…know…" she said in between gasps. A frown was starting to form on Clayface's face again. He never did like to see such a positive reaction from one of his victims.

"Besides, that doesn't matter. All that does matter is that you killed someone very important to me and attempted to kill my daughter." She suddenly became serious.

"Don't get all serious on me, now. These are some pretty steep accusations that are all one-sided. You forget an important detail about the mishap with your daughter. That little detail is that she came to me. I didn't force her to see me."

"Oh, and I'm sure you didn't take advantage of the fact that she didn't know what you had done."

"How was I supposed to know? She does live with Oracle, right? I thought that she would know what I had done and then passed the knowledge on to your girl before she went to see me."

Star Star Star

On the streets of New Gotham

"Well, that was certainly…interesting." Bruce mentioned to Helena. They just walked out of No Man's Land. Gibson had talked them into coming in for a drink. After an hour they managed to bow out politely.

"That's one way of putting it," Helena said, pulling a face. Bruce laughed.

"So now what?" He asked. They walked a little bit before she answered.

"Now, we figure out what you're going to say to Mom when they find her."

"Alright."

"So, what did you say that made her angry? Are we talking about something small where flowers would work, or something major?"

"Major." Helena let out a low whistle.

"Well then, we're going to figure something out. You do realize that groveling will most likely be involved."

"Of course. I mean, what's an apology without groveling?"

Star Star Star

Outside of Arkham

"Ok, Oracle, we're finally here." Dinah said into her coms. Not only did they have that traffic jam (which turned out to be a serious accident. Four people were killed, which made Dinah feel bad), but the road to Arkham was closed, so they had to take a detour, which caused them to cross three school zones, and when they got to Arkham, they had to drive around for five minutes looking for a parking place. It was not a good day to drive.

"Alright. Look around the outside of the entrance and see if you can find her before she goes in. If you don't see her, let me know."

"Copy Oracle." Her and Reese split up and went around the building. They met around the back.

"Find her?" Reese asked. Dinah rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you see she took an invisibility serum. That's why you can't see her standing beside me."

"You know, Helena's starting to rub off on you."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Star Star Star

Inside Arkham

"Don't you play innocent with me. You knew the second you saw her that she didn't know and you manipulated her, you bastard." Selina was starting to get a headache.

"Selina, manipulate is such a harsh word. There's also no need for name-calling." He smiled when she growled at him.

"No need? I do believe that killing someone close to me and then attempting to kill another gives me every right for name-calling. What I don't get is why I even came here." Selina said. Underneath the table (and out of sight of the camera), she started unwinding a package she had strapped on her leg, under the skirt she was wearing. Her eyes stayed on him.

"You don't know why you came? I know why you came. You came here looking for closure, baby. But, since I feel no remorse for what I have done, can you really get that closure?" She glared at him for an answer. Underneath the table, she got the package and put it beside her (still out of sight of the camera). She slowly opened it, keeping her eyes on him.

"Actually, I think I can. Knowing you're locked up here for the rest of your miserable life brightens my day." She smiled. She took out a syringe from the package, still without taking her eyes from him. She started rewrapping the package around her leg, leaving an opening for her to stick the syringe back in quickly.

"They can't keep me locked up forever, Selina. You know that just as well as I do. It's only a matter of time." Selina laughed.

"I'd love to see you try to get out of here again." She took the cap off of the needle.

"Oh, you will. Believe me, you'll be the first person I'll visit."

"Oh, I don't think so," she growled as she stuck the needle in his leg. She then quickly put the empty syringe back on her leg. He glared at her.

"What did you just do?" He growled.

"I didn't do anything." She smiled as she said it. His eyes widened as she got up.

"You won't get away with it you bichh" he said.

"What, are you on drugs or something? What was that last word?" She said, laughing.

"You heard what I said. I called you a bi…" he started, but then his eyes rolled back and he started convulsing. Selina's eyes widened and she pressed the panic button. Immediately, two guards came in. When they saw Clayface, one went for a doctor. The other looked at Selina before going to Clayface.

"What happened?" He asked as he got the strait jacket off of Clayface.

"I…don't know. I was just telling him that I hope he rots in hell when he started convulsing. Oh, my God…this is my fault! I did this to him!" She put her head in her hands and sunk to the floor, shaking.

A doctor came into the room. When she went over to Clayface with two other guards and a stretcher, the guard went over to Selina. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"No, miss. This isn't your fault. Trust me. This would have happened whether or not you came in today."

No, it wouldn't have, she thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "You really think so?"

"Yes I do. C'mon, let's get you out of here." He held out his hand. She took it and he helped her up.

"Oh, I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm such a terrible person. He's going to die and it's all my fault," she said softly as they walked down the hall.

"Don't worry. We have very good doctors. If it will make you feel better, I'll ask the nurses at the nurse station at the end of the hall how he is. I'm sure they will have news. You're not a terrible person," the guard reassured her. Selina nodded.

Star Star Star

Streets of New Gotham

"So, do you think Barbara's watching us and knows where we are right now?" Bruce asked. Helena stopped walking and looked at him, a smile starting to creep up on her face.

"What?" Bruce stopped and looked back at her.

"I was thinking the exact same thing. We only promised her that we wouldn't go to Arkham…"

"She didn't say anything about us going by Arkham." Bruce finished.

"I like the way you think, Dad." She said. She started walking again, but noticed that he wasn't following her. She turned around and saw that he was staring at her with his mouth open.

"What?" she asked. He didn't say anything. She punched his shoulder. "What?"

"You…just called me 'Dad.'" Bruce said. Helena's eyes narrowed.

"No I didn't." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, you did." He started to smile.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did. You said, 'I like the way you think, Dad.'"

"I did not!"

"Okay, sure you didn't." He winked at her and set off toward Arkham. Helena huffed after him.

I really didn't."

"Of course you didn't. I believe you." He said back with a wink

Star Star Star

Arkham Asylum

"Excuse me." The guard went up to the nurse's station. Selina was sitting in a chair nearby.

"Yes?"

"Is there any information on what happened to Clayface?"

"Yes. Hang on." The nurse went over to a different desk and grabbed a folder. She brought it over.

"He suffered from a major seizure. The doctor believes that it was from insulin shock. There were very high levels of insulin found in his system. He doesn't have diabetes, but this could be a sign that he may be getting it. The seizures have ended and he is now in a coma. He hasn't come out of it yet. We're not sure how much damage his brain has gone through since he was deprived of some oxygen."

"So, how could this have happened?" The guard asked.

"He may have diabetes that ran unchecked for a while." The nurse shrugged. The guard thanked her and walked back over to Selina.

"C'mon. Let's get you out of here." Selina looked up and smiled weakly.

"Thanks."

Star Star Star

Outside Arkham

"Oracle, she's not outside. We're going around to the front."

"Copy that."

"Alright, let's go." Dinah and Reese made their way to the front. When they reached the front, they ran into some familiar faces.

"Bruce? Helena?" They both grinned sheepishly.

"Hey guys. Fancy meeting you here. We were just going for a walk." Helena said. Dinah and Reese looked at each other and started laughing.

"So, did you find her?" Bruce asked. Helena rolled her eyes.

"Yes, they did. She took on the power of invisibility. That's why we can't see her." Dinah and Reese laughed harder. Helena and Bruce looked at each other and shrugged. Reese noticed this and calmed down.

"It's a long story. C'mon, let's go find your mom." He put his arm around Helena's waist and they led the way. They didn't have to walk far. As they made their way to the steps, a blonde woman making her way down the steps caught Helena's eye.

"Mom?"

A/N: Only one chapter left!


	27. The Final One

A/N: So here it is, the final chapter. Thanks to all my readers for being patient with me. I'm dedicating this chapter to Sailor FoxFire who sent me a few messages, giving me ideas, and telling me very nicely to get off my butt and finish the story. By the end of this chapter, somebody will be engaged:)

Chapter 27

"Mom?" Helena's voice shocked Selina and she tripped down the last step. The guard (who was still walking her out even though she was already out, thank you very much) grabbed her arms and kept her from falling on her face. She thanked him and turned towards Helena.

"Hey-" She was suddenly out of breath as Helena hugged her. She hugged her back until Helena let her go.

"What happened? You didn't come back last night!" Helena asked.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to make you worry. I left a message on Jesse's answering machine last night. I spent the night in a hotel and then came here to give Clayface a piece of my mind." Helena and Bruce looked at each other and back at Selina. It was then that they noticed the hovering guard and Selina's smudged makeup. Bruce's eyes narrowed as Helena asked Selina what had happened. That question seemed to make the guard realize that he was intruding on a family moment. He squeezed Selina's shoulder and made his way back to Arkham to finish his shift. Selina waited until he was out of listening distance before answering.

"Nothing happened. I got what I needed from this meeting. Clayface just surprised me a little. That's all." Selina started to make her way back to the clock tower, but Bruce grabbed her arm and twisted her back around to face him.

"What did you do?" His voice had a dangerous tone to it. Selina looked a little shocked at his tone for a moment, but then looked him straight in the eye and scowled at him before answering.

"What do you mean, 'what did I do?' I didn't do anything that would be any of your business!" Her tone matched his. Helena, Reese, and Dinah just stood there, a little afraid to intervene.

"Any of my business? Of course it's my business. I know you did something, Selina. I know you. The guard wouldn't have escorted you out of the building if nothing had happened." Bruce's voice was starting to get louder.

"Oh, I get it now. The guard escorting me out of the building automatically means I did something to Clayface. Seeing the man that tried to kill me could not have possibly upset me. Seeing that same man who also tried to kill my daughter couldn't have made me so upset that a guard tried to console me as I walked out of the building. That's not something that would happen to me. You're right, Bruce. You know me so well. Once a criminal always a criminal, is that right?" Selina ripped her arms out of his grip. Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"But I guess you are right. You do know me pretty well. I did do something. Did it even cross you're mind that maybe that man deserved to feel just a tad of the pain and suffering he has caused?" Helena looked at her mother in shock; Bruce just clenched his jaw. He said something, but nobody heard him.

"What did you say?" Selina asked. Her voice had a steely tone to it. Helena noticed that her eyes had changed. She was getting ready for this to become a real fight. She nudged Reese to see if he noticed. He nodded. Bruce didn't seem too bothered by the eye change. He just looked her dead in the eye.

"I asked you if you killed him." All of a sudden, everyone's eyes were on Selina.

"No. He's not dead. He's going to be fine. I thought long and hard about it and I thought that living out his life locked up in that hellhole would be worse than any punishment I could give him. I merely gave him a warning." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Bruce a look that dared him to tell her she wasn't justified in her actions.

"A warning?"

"Yes. I warned him that if he ever came after me or my family ever again that I would kill him without remorse."

"And how did you convey this message?"

"That would be none of your business."

"Selina…"

"You know what, Bruce? I'm getting a little sick and tired of your righteous bull shit! I get it, ok? No matter what I do, I will never be good enough for you because of who I used to be!"

"Selina…"

"Could you possibly lower your standards some? Sure, I may not have been what you would call a model citizen in my past, but I changed. What happened today will never be traced back to me because what I did could have been caused biologically. I wish you would get off your pedestal of perfection and stop judging me for something in my past. I can't go back and change it no matter how much you want me to."

"Selina…"

"No, I'm not done yet. How dare you accuse me of murder! In my entire life, I have never killed out of spite. Why the hell would I have started today when I would be surrounded by guards?"

"Because he went after your daughter." Selina looked a little shocked that he answered her rhetorical question. Bruce noticed her silence and took the opportunity to speak.

"Selina, I've only been around the two of you for a couple days, but I can see the bond you share. There isn't anything that you wouldn't do for Helena. She is one of the few people that you would ever consider killing for." He took a step toward Selina. She took one back. Helena, Dinah, and Reese took the opportunity to take a walk around the block in order to give the feuding couple their privacy. Bruce continued talking lest Selina start yelling at him again.

"It didn't even cross my mind that you would have hurt or killed the man because you used to be Catwoman. You hurt him because you are a mother whose daughter was almost killed by him." He took another step closer to Selina. Selina kept her arms crossed, but didn't take a step back. Bruce saw that as a small victory.

"I'm sorry I accused you of killing him. I jumped to conclusions. But are you going to try and convince me that killing Clayface didn't even cross your mind?"

"Of course it crossed my mind! It crossed my mind at least a million times!" Selina went over to a bench and sat down. Bruce followed her and hesitated before sitting down next to her. He didn't want to get kicked in the face again.

"What stopped you?" When Selina didn't answer his question, he nudged her with his shoulder.

"Well, that's easy: Helena."

"How did she stop you?"

"I took into consideration how killing Clayface would affect her. If I had killed Clayface, I would have gone to jail. There wouldn't be any grand escape for me. I'd spend the rest of my life in jail. I'm not willing to lose any more time with my daughter, especially if that time is because of a scumbag like him."

Change of scene

Helena, Dinah, and Reese sat down at a café a block away from Arkham. After getting something to drink, they decided to sit around and waste time.

"So, you're mother didn't attack Clayface?" Dinah asked. Helena gave her a dirty look.

"Sorry. It's weird. I had a vision of her kicking Clayface across the face. Every other vision I've had has come true."

"If that had actually happened, Helena's mother would have gone to jail. The visiting rooms in Arkham have cameras in them." Reese said.

"I know that. I just don't understand how my vision was wrong." Dinah replied.

They sat there, thinking about it until Barbara butt into the conversation.

"Well, Dinah, what you saw was the future of what Selina planned on doing. The future isn't always certain. It can be changed by the slightest decision. When Selina decided not to kill Clayface, the future you saw no longer existed."

"Well then, how come the other visions I've had have all come true?"

"I'm guessing that in all the other visions you've had, nobody changed their mind or did anything different to change the future."

Change of scene

"So, what do we do now?" Bruce asked. Selina looked up at him and shook her head.

"I don't know." She stood up. Bruce stood up as well. Selina started to walk away, but Bruce grabbed her arm.

"Selina, I don't want to lose you over this." She turned around and smiled at him.

"I don't want to lose you, either. I'm sorry that I assumed that my past would continue to bother you. I'm just scared that one day you'll remember who I was and forget that I'm not her anymore and leave me." She was staring at the ground by the end of her little speech. Bruce walked up to her and brought her chin up so that she would look him in the eye. Then he kissed her.

"Selina, when I look at you now, I remember who you were. Without your past, you wouldn't be who you are today. I loved you then and I love you now. I'm not going to change my mind anytime soon." He smiled, which caused her to smile. They started to walk down the street, towards where Helena, Dinah, and Reese headed.

"So, now that we have agreed to stay together, what do we do?" Bruce asked. Selina looked up at him.

"How about we go let the kids know that we're not going to kill each other?" She suggested. Bruce smirked and grabbed something from his jacket.

"I've got a better idea." He handed a little box to Selina. She gasped and looked up at him.

"Now, please don't make me get on my knees in my old age." He put out his bottom lip, which made her laugh, but she shook her head.

"No. If you're old, that makes me old. On your knees." She handed the box to him and pointed to the ground.

Bruce groaned.

"You are an evil woman. Do you know that?" he asked as he got down on one knee.

"Yes. I have been told that on many occasions." Selina answered with a smirk.

Star Star Star

Helena, Dinah, and Reese were still sitting at the café.

"I can't take this anymore." Helena said as she stood up. "They've had enough time."

"Helena, I'm sure they are fine." Reese said. She glared at him before storming off to the restroom. The second she was out of earshot, Dinah started giving Reese a pointed look. He desperately tried to ignore it, but finally, it was too much.

"What?"

"So, when are you going to do it?" she asked. He inwardly groaned. Why did he have to tell her about that?

"Do what?"

"Ask her to marry you, of course." She leaned forward. He leaned towards her as if to whisper in her ear.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked quietly. She smiled.

"Of course I can."

"Good. So can I." With that, he leaned back and looked over at the dirty look he was receiving from Dinah.

"What?" He laughed. Dinah pouted as Helena came back from the bathroom. She came up to the table but didn't sit down.

"That's it. I'm going and you can't stop me."

"Helena, it hasn't even been 15 minutes yet." Dinah said.

"I don't care. I'm going. Are you two coming or not?" She turned around and walked toward the door, not waiting for a response from either of them. She didn't really need to wait anyway because Dinah and Reese were right behind her.

"So what are you going to do, Helena?" Dinah asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll know when I get there. If they are still arguing, I'll split them up."

"And if they aren't?" Helena stopped and turned around.

"What else would they be doing?" she asked. Dinah and Reese looked at each other and gave her a look. Helena caught it and turned a little red.

"They wouldn't do that kind of thing in public!"

'Well, they are _your_ parents. Would _you_ do that kind of thing in public, Helena?" Dinah asked with a smirk. Helena turned a darker shade of red when she locked eyes with Reese, who looked quite interested in her answer.

"Aren't you a little young for this kind of talk?"

"No. I was just asking if you would kiss someone in public. What did _you_ think I was talking about?" Now Helena was purple. She abruptly turned around as Dinah burst out laughing and headed towards where her parents were. Reese caught up with her rather quickly.

"Got something on your mind?" He whispered in her ear. She colored a little more (which the author didn't think was possible) and looked him straight in the eye and smiled.

"Not anymore." With that, she laughed and turned around the corner to come upon the _last_ thing she would have expected to see. She gasped in surprise.

Her da…_Bruce_ was on his knees and handing her mom a little box. She was smiling and nodding. Helena's mouth hung open in shock. She looked at both Dinah and Reese as if they could give her answers. Sadly, they were in little better shape than she was. Dinah's mouth was hanging open and Reese looked strangely disappointed.

"What's wrong? What happened? I heard a gasp." Barbara's voice echoed in Helena's head, but she didn't respond.

At this time, Selina noticed that they had an audience and waved them over. Bruce got up and turned around as they walked up.

"Hey guys." Selina said as they walked up. Helena, Reese, and Dinah just continued to stare.

"Uh, what was that?" Helena asked, gesturing between the two of them. Selina and Bruce looked at each other and smiled at each other. Selina laughed.

"Your father decided to finally make an honest woman out of me. It's about time!"

"WHAT?!" Came Barbara's voice and then a loud thump from the intercom. Helena, Bruce, and Dinah all winced in response. Selina and Reese winced in sympathy because they heard it as well.

"Maybe we should make sure she's all right." Selina said. Everyone nodded and they made their way back to the clock tower.

Star Star Star

"I can't believe that you fell over!" Dinah said. Barbara's face was bright red while everyone was laughing, well everyone but Reese. Helena still couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

"So, you two are going to tie the knot?" Barbara asked. Selina and Bruce looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, I can't think of a better way to make my comeback to New Gotham then to marry the woman I love and to make us a family." Bruce said. He looked at Helena apprehensively. Everyone else looked over at her to gauge her reaction.

Helena looked at the ground for a long time. Then, she bit her bottom lip and walked toward Bruce. Bruce stiffened as she came close. Then she did the last thing anyone expected. (and earned an "oh my GOD" from Dinah)

She hugged him.

"Welcome to the family, Dad," she whispered in his ear. As she drew back, she saw her mom and Barbara tearing up, Dinah's mouth hanging open, and Reese smiling. She continued to look around for the missing face only to find Alfred coming in with tea.

"Tea anyone?"

A/N: And it's done!!! Yay!! Ok, now, I know it's not what you all expected. I will eventually come up with an epilogue where Selina will visit the Joker, but it won't be up anytime soon. As far as Reese and Helena go, I'm going to do a one-shot that will be able to stand alone once things at school calm down (hopefully this will be accomplished in my lifetime!)

Thank you to all of my readers. I hope you enjoyed it! Review and let me know!


	28. Epilogue

So, I have the new Birds of Prey DVD set and saw The Dark Knight the other day. I was so excited that I actually finished this!! :) So, enjoy. Oh, and by the way, this takes place "some time" after the last chapter

Epilogue

Ever since he had been in prison, the Joker's life ceased to be fun. When he would think about the life he used to lead in comparison to the "life" he had now, it was just depressing. How much in his life he took for granted! He realized that he would never do so again, if only he had the chance...

It had been too long since he saw Selina's daughter. If he were the worrying sort, he would be worried. After all, the girl never wrote or visited to tell him what had happened. It wasn't like he had any other visitors. He used to get letters from his Harley, but she suddenly abandoned him by not writing. What a bitch! She didn't even write a last letter. If he WAS worried about Selina's daughter, he would have no reason to feel ashamed. As it was, he was merely...concerned. After all, that was a much better word. Besides himself of course, Catwoman was one of his favorite criminals. Although they didn't always agree, they were always able to find a way to work together almost flawlessly.

Well, he thought to himself, it's no wonder. The Bat had always seemed a little off when he would catch them in action (as irritating as it was). Oh, she was good. He laughed at the thought. She freaking BOUGHT him off! And he thought he was so righteous!!

He noticed a guard approaching him. He looked up and frowned (well, as much as he could) at the intrusion to his very important inner monologue.

"Yes?" he said.

"It seems that you have a visitor" the guard told him.

"Really?" He smiled. Another visitor? How wonderful. Now that the Bat's brat was back...hey! That almost rhymed. That was so much better than calling her Selina's daughter. The Bat's brat is back in town. Maybe that is why people decide to have children. After all, that was the only upside. They do tend to clutter the place up a bit, don't they? Hmmm...

"Do you want to see your visitor or not?" the guard asked, interrupting his inner monologue AGAIN. When he broke out of here (he was still adamant about it being 'when' and not 'if'), this guard would be the first to go. His screams will be heard from miles away.

"Of course." He got up and waited for the other guards to come in and escort him to the visiting room. Once he was unable to escape (sadly, had they done it this way when he got in here, he could have without trying, but he was out of shape.), they made their way to the visiting room. When he saw his visitor, he breathed an inner sigh of relief.

"Hello there. Miss me?" Selina smiled as he sat down. He looked around as the guards left and noticed some very important differences between Helena's visit and hers. There was no panic button for her to push if he attacked her and there were no cameras to be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked. Selina smiled and leaned forward. Joker did the same.

"I told them that I was your attorney and that I was here to help you write your will. They figured since I was going to let you go on and on about who should get your crap if you died that I was pretty much safe. Especially when I showed them that my tape recorder and mentioned that I would be recording the session. Apparently you are known for making quite the theatrics around here."

"Am I?"

"Yes. They must not know you very well. When have you ever been known to not kill someone simply because they are recording you? Hell, that used to give you an incentive."

"Well, that will make it easier for me to make my grand escape. They underestimate me now that I've been in here so long." His voice lowered to a whisper. He then straightened up and talked in a normal tone.

"I'm glad to see that you are well." Selina waved her left hand to dismiss the subject and a glint caught his eye. There was a set of rings on her finger. She followed his gaze to her hand and smirked. Then she held out her hand as if he was going to admire it.

"Do you like it? I think it's lovely." When he narrowed his eyes at her she took her hand away and met his stare.

"So you..." He paused. He couldn't even come up with the words to describe it. The only word that went though his mind was blasphomy.

"Married him? Yes I did."

Joker started to laugh. Selina narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" He took a moment to compose himself and then spoke.

"It's...it's just that I tried...so hard to find a way to prove to Bats that he was indeed human. That he would fall. That's why he hated my guts so much. Because I tested his limits. I always tried to find his one weakness, the one thing that would make him bend his little rules. I knew that money held nothing. I just never thought that Bats could have been bought off so easily. Guess I didn't have the right equipment, huh?" He laughed hysterically for another minute. Then he noticed that Selina wasn't laughing with him.

"Bought off? Come on now. Let's not get on this subject." Joker suddenly stood up and leaned over the table. Selina's eyes changed and she quickly backed up and also stood up. They locked gazes for a moment and then both sat back down simutaneously.

"You just need to know this, Miss Kitty. I may have saved your life, but I saved the life of the woman that you used to be. Or maybe it was the woman I ddin't know, but you now have made choices that can't be taken back. I'm disappointed in you. I have no more loyalties from now one. To me, you are just another one of them. Don't think that just because I saved your life once, that I will do so agian." Selina smiled at him.

"Well, if you go around saying things like this, then maybe I won't give you your present." Joker's demeanor immediatly changed. He smiled and clapped his hands.

"You brought me a present? Oh, give it give it give it!"

"Ha! You think after a speech like that I would just give you a present? I don't think so." Selina got up, noticing Joker pouting.

"Oh, come on woman! You go off and get knocked up by my worst enemy behind my back and then marrying him after I save your ass, and expect me not to be upset about it? You were my favorite. We were a team, you and I. Together we came up with the organized crime in that shithole! You were my right-hand woman, no matter what Harley thought!"

"Ha! You're just mad that you didn't catch on. Oh and flattery gets you everywhere, old friend." Selina smiled and took out a pack of cards from the pocket of her jacket. Joker made a grab, but she intercepted.

"Not yet. Are things ok between us? I mean, you know how it is. Girls like me have needs-"

"Ew, please don't talk like that. You will scar me for life." He laughed hysterically. She smiled at him.

"But, in all seriousness. No, things are not ok. But I am willing to consider trying to make amends."

"Well, I guess that's about all I can do." She handed the cards to him and he gleefully started to sort them.

"Oh, they're fresh! That's wonderful! Thank you, my dear. See, already starting to make the bridge!" He laughed as she got up to leave.

"Oh, Selina?"

Selina turned around in the doorway.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell that husband of yours something for me?"

"Depends. What do you want me to tell him?"

"Just tell him that the world never stops spinning. He'll know what it means. It's an inside joke."

"Hmm, ok. Good-bye."

When Selina returned to Wayne Manor (after their wedding, the couple decided to move to New Gotham and back to Wayne Manor to be close to Helena, and besides, she wasn't using it), she didn't realize that she would return to a very nervous husband who seemed to have done nothing at all for the day and a half that she had been gone. He wanted to go with her, but she told him no.

"Honey, did you do ANYTHING since I've been gone?"

He looked up from the television and saw her standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and a look of amusement on her face. He had been worried sick for the past day and a half. He couldn't eat or sleep. Whenever he tried, visions of Selina dying kept coming into his mind. He hadn't felt like this since...well, the first time she died. Then, he noticed he was staring at her and smiled. He got up and made his way over to her. He kissed her hello and laughed.

"No, all I've been doing is worrying about you."

"Well, you shouldn't have. I love to tell you I told you so, so I told you so." He gave her a look.

"Are you kidding? You went to see my worst enemy, a psychopath who kills without remorse or motive, oh and also knows about our relationship."

"Well, I also went to see the man who saved my life. I mean, without him, I would be dead."

"That may be so, but I'm just glad to see that you're ok." He kissed her again as if he was reassuring himself that she was still alive.

"Honey, not that I'm not happy that you're being so affectionate, but you didn't have to worry so much about me. I'm pretty resourceful. I can take care of myself." Bruce's face changed a little and he didn't answer. She grabbed his collar as he turned.

"Hey, what was that look for? And don't clam up on me, dear. See the ring you gave me? That means that you don't go all Batman on me anymore. Don't shut me out. What's wrong? I know Joker always managed to get under your skin, but that's not what this is about, is it?" Bruce sighed.

"It's just...I don't want to lose you again. I can't handle it. I know what it feels like and I can't live without you in my life anymore. The day and a half that you've been gone drove me mad. I can't stand it."

"Aww, that's sweet. But you don't have to worry about losing me. I'm not going anywhere." They kissed again.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I don't want to ruin this wonderful mood you're in, but you need to know. Joker asked me to tell you something." Bruce froze as she said this.

"Do you want me to tell you? I thought about just keeping it to myself, but then I'd be lying to you and I've done enough of that to last me ten lifetimes. I want to leave it up to you."

"Selina, stop beating yourself up for not telling me about Helena. I understand why you did it. She now understands why you did it. It's all water under the bridge."

"I know. It's just hard to forgive myself"

"Well, start. What did Joker say?"

"Are you sure you want to know? I don't want him to hurt you anymore. It seemed insignificant, but with him nothing ever is."

"Yes, I need to know."

"He told me to tell you that the world never stops spinning."

Bruce paled. He ran over to the television set and started frantically changing the channels.

"What are you doing? What does that mean?" Selina asked.

"He's getting out. What I need to know is whether he's just planning his escape, or..." He trailed off as he found the news story he was dreading.

"I repeat, the Joker has escaped from prison. This man is possibly armed and extremely dangerous. He has blown up the prison that has been holding him for the past eight years. Several bodies have been identified. All have been accounted for except for one man. Allan Jennings, a prison guard assigned to the Joker's 24 hour guard, is still missing. We are not sure as of yet if he is a hostage or an accomplice. Police have not yet determined what type of explosives were used but they-" The television blacked out and the face that haunted Bruce's dreams appeared.

"Hello New Gotham! Hee hee hee! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! It looks as though I get my second chance to destroy New Gotham. Then what will you people call it? New Gotham, Jr? Hahahahahaha!"

"Anyway, I would like to introduce my main guest. Everybody, say hello to Sir Interrupt-A-Lot, or Bob, for short." The camera shakily turned to the prison guard (the one that constantly interrupted Joker's inner monologue FYI) who was duct taped to a chair. He looked scared to death. There was a small piece of duct tape over his mouth and the skin around it was red, as if it had been ripped off repeatedly. A hand came out of nowhere and ripped it off again.

"Say hello to the general public, Bob." The man said nothing. he just looked helplessly at the camera.

"What's the matter, Bob? Bat got your tongue?" He laughed hysterically. Then the hand opened the man's mouth for the public to see that he had cut off the man's tongue.

"Oh, no. That's right. JOKER'S got your tongue! See? Here it is!" The hand brought out a bloody muscle that had Selina cringing and she had to look away from the set.

"Ha ha ha ha! Guess you can't interrupt serious talk anymore, can you Bob? Well, I'm officially bored with you now. I just now realized that I won't get to hear you scream for help when I kill you, which is no fun at all. I guess I'll have to come up with something a bit more...interesting for you. Hee hee hee." He turned the camera back to his face.

"Remember this face, New Gotham. Joker's coming HOME!!"

Bruce turned the television off and sunk down in his chair. Selina sat next to him. They shared a moment of stunned silence.

"So, what are you going to do?" Helena appeared out of nowhere and sat down on the coffee table across from them.

"Well, we're going to need to get a location..."

"Please, Dad, you know Barbara's all over that. What I was asking about is whether or not you want in on this. If you want to help, we will see you two at headquarters." She laughed and made her way out.

Bruce and Selina shared a look. Then Bruce snorted.

"I see how well you raised our daughter. She mocks her elders!"

"Blame it on me, why don't you? Everyone blames the mother!"

"Well, she's your daughter."

"Hmm..." They shared yet another look.

"I know I don't even need to bother asking, but are you in?" Bruce asked her.

"Always."

The two got up and made their way over to the clocktower. It probably wouldn't be the last time, because after all, the Joker was right about one thing. The world never stops spinning.

The End For Real


End file.
